Religion In The Grapes Of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath, a historical fiction novel by John Steinbeck, contains many symbols and themes that add to the overall meaning of the story. The story is about a family living in Sallisaw Oklahoma during the Great Depression. Because of the infamous Dust Bowl, the Joad family is forced to leave their home. They set out for California in hopes of a more fruitful land with more opportunities and a brighter future. In the story, the audience examines how the main characters deal with roadblocks on their path out of a bad situation. One character, Jim Casy, explains to the audience that “there ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue” (Steinbeck 32). This quote typifies two major themes which affect the overall message of the novel. The idea

Jim Casy is a traveling preacher with his own ideas about righteousness and sin. In the beginning of the novel, he seems to struggle with these concepts, but he begins to gain clarity as time goes on. During an altercation with a deputy, Jim Casy deciedes to sacrifice himself for his colleague, Tom Joad. Amidst all of the drama, Jim tells Tom to “Go on now. . . You get outa this” (Steinbeck 363). Similar to Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for all of mankind, Jim Casy sacrifices his freedom for a friend, which draws a parallel between both figures. Yanhong Fan writes about this very relationship in her article “Analysis of archetypal character Jim Casy in the Grapes of Wrath”. She talks about how Jim Casy shows his prophet funcionality in a few ways: his initials are J.C, he experiences a soul-search, he sacricices himself for Tom, and he is persecuted as a martydom for the people he led, comforted, and fought for (Fan Par. 4). It certainly is not a coincidence that John Steinbeck creates so many similarities between these two figures. Louis Owens explains this in his article, “Desentimentalizing The Grapes of Wrath”. In a brief summary of John Steinbeck’s efforts, Owens spells out the fact that “Steinbeck set out to expose the fatal dangers of the new American myth of a new Eden, new Canaan, and to illuminate a path toward a new conciousness of commitment in place of removal” (Par. 19). Clearly the presence of Jim Casy in this novel directly signifies the complexity and nuances of religion, and he helps develop religious themes in the process. Steinbeck also uses Rose of Sharon in the very last scene of the Grapes of Wrath to provide religious symbolism and themes. At the end of the story there was a great rainstorm, lasting for about a week, which flooded the area badly. Food was scarce, and Rose of Sharon had just delivered a stillnborn baby. The