Jim Casy, a martyr and leader with a large following, reflects the sacrifices of Jesus Christ for the downtrodden by uniting the less privileged and rebelling against the religious constrictions of their time. Jim Casy parallels Jesus Christ in many ways throughout the novel. Steinbeck purposefully gave Jim Casy the same initials as Jesus Christ in order to signify the link between these two influential figures. Jim Casy, like Jesus Christ, is consistently willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. When a scuffle ensues between Tom Joad and a police officer in Hooverville, Jim Casey offers take the blame: “Somebody got to take the blame. I got no kids. They’ll jus’ put me in jail, an’ I ain’t doin’ nothin’ but set aroun”(266-267). Jim does not want Tom to be arrested because Tom has broken parole, Jim recognizes that there would be less suffering if he takes the blame, so he does. Jim is watching out for someone he cares for deeply, and is willing to make a sacrifice for Tom. He would rather be punished than see another person be punished more than himself. Jim believes that since he’s “got no kids,” it would be better for him to be in jail as compared to Tom because Tom has a family and is someone’s son. Jim values family and wants to keep the Joad family together and since he does not have his own family and does not have a present father, Jim believes it would be better for him to be in jail as opposed to Tom. Jim thinks that his life is less important than some
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he continuously uses biblical allusions to better express Lennie and George’s loss of paradise. Steinbeck uses biblical allusions from the book of Genesis because they represent the Fall of Man; therefore, supporting his theme of losing paradise. Steinbeck alludes Curley’s wife to the apple of temptation from the story of Adam and Eve because she constantly tempts Lennie which results in his fall. Additionally, George and Lennie are allusions to the sons of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, due to the fact that Cain betrays Abel, similarly to how George betrays Lennie; which results in both Cain and George losing paradise. In using the biblical allusions of the apple of temptation and the brothers, Cain and
At first, Tom only cared about himself and how he would succeed. Pretty soon, he has the same line of thinking as Preacher Jim Casy. “[sic] I’ll be ever’where-wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there” (Steinbeck 537). Tom is talking about how he wants to organize a strike like what Casy did. He believes that if everyone joins together, then the cops can not touch them. He forgot about what is best for
As the novel progresses, Tom transforms from this selfish nature to become a caring person. Several examples of this transformation are seen throughout various chapters. When the Joads are traveling west to California with the Wilson’s, Tom offers to help them when their car breaks down. “Tom said nervously, ‘Look Al. I done my time, an’ now it’s done… Let’s jus’ try an’ get a con-rod an’ the hell with the res’ of it.’” Tom is showing a little more care for other people’s problems, however, he still has a selfish side because he still does not regret killing a man. He knew he had to pay for it by going to prison, but he still believes he did nothing wrong by taking a man’s life. By offering to help out with the Wilson’s’ car, he is on his way to becoming a less selfish person. As the book draws to a close, Tom stumbles upon Jim Casy again, who is murdered in front of his own eyes. As a result, he is thrown into a silent rage and kills another man which causes him to hide in the forest. He realizes that he is a danger to his family, so he sacrifices his safety in order for his family to be safe. ‘“Ya can’t do that, Ma. I tell you I’m jus’ a danger to ya,”’ (391). There is a clear transition from Tom acting selfish at the beginning of the book to him acting completely selfless at the end. This selflessness also contributed to him being a figure committed to bettering the
When Tom Joad sees Jim Casy as he walks to the Joad ranch after being dropped off from the truck, he asks Jim Casy if he preaches anymore because he remembers Jim Casy as a preacher. Jim Casy says he does not preach anymore because he does not believe in God. After he went into the forest and rediscovered more about life, he changed the way. Jim Casy has moved on from what he used to do to a new understanding to religion and life.
Carter claims that “Jim was a first in American fiction- a recognition that the slave had two personalities; “the voice of survival within a white slave culture and the voice of the individual: Jim, the father and the man.” Twain uses several examples to show that Jim, the voice of slavery, the voice of survival and the individual, faces difficulties and pain. In Huckleberry Finn, one small example of the individual in pain, trying to survive, is where Jim hides while Huck is in town. “I poked into the place away and come to a little open patch as big as a bedroom all hung around with vines, and found a man laying there asleep- and, by jings, it was my old Jim!” (143). This was the moment where readers could truly realize the conditions that the individual had to face while escaping slavery. This is the moment where people should feel sympathetic for
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men makes numerous biblical allusions to demonstrate how man is incapable of resisting his own primeval desires, revealing humanity's inherent imperfections.
As the novel begins, Tom has a completely independent outlook on life; concerned only with returning home from prison to indulge his own comforts and wants. It is only later after he has endured the hardships of the journey, in Jim Casy’s death, and his own exile, that he has time to think and realizes that it is united we stand, and divided we fall. He thus sacrifices his personal concerns and safety and leaves the family to go out into the larger community and help his people. He will go out and work to complete what Jim Casy had started. Whereas Jim Casy was too much of an idealist, Tom will try and put his plan into action: “Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there.” (537)
Casy goes into the wilderness during his ministry and constantly claims to not be a preacher, just as John the Baptist refuses to be called the Messiah. He also speaks often about how he baptized Tom, who we turn to as the next Christ-figure. Up until Casy’s death, these roles are clear; however, as Casy is about to be killed, he responds like Christ did at his death, saying that the murderer does not know what they are doing. At this point, both Jim Casy and Tom merge as the Christ-Figure. Casy dies as Christ did and Tom goes to a cave to heal and comes “back to life” in the same fashion as Christ’s Resurrection. Tom’s sacrifices do not directly inspire, but Casy’s inspire Tom and are constantly present on Tom’s mind, and Tom’s words inspire Casy. They influence each other and they work together as the
Tom, though, is a very complicated individual who turns out to be a tremendous asset and burden to the family. His parole causes the family an unneeded worry, but does get work that helps the family. He is the main protagonist for his family and the main follower of Jim Casy's philosophy on human nature. Jim is much more of a talker and idealist, and he actually puts what he preached into action. Jim Casy is frequently compared with Jesus Christ and his lifestyle of preaching and leading people. As well as sacrificing himself for Tom and the Joad family which upholds his common held belief. Tom carries Jim’s message after his death and aids others with it. The Joad family, along with Jim Casy, shows the benefit of people uniting in order to accomplish goals and this is a lesson that the reader can take away from this novel.
When Tom gets in trouble with a officer in a Hooverville, Casey says it’s his fault and he is arrested instead of Tom. If Tom had been arrested he would have been sent back to prison for three years. Tom has always looked up to Casey and he is even more grateful for Casey’s actions.
Jim Casy and Tom Joad learn many things from being in prison. The novel starts off describing how Tom Joad is a man who believes he will go insane if he starts thinking about the future, so he takes his life one day at a time and works through it. This starts him off with a practical sort of self interest, but by the end of the novel though he realizes that he cannot just sit by as a silent witness to the world’s injustices. He will not wrong another family just to benefit his own. So he sets out on a course of public action.
By the time Tom and Casy reunite at the cotton plantation, Tom realizes that he cannot sit and be a silent witness to the world’s injustices. At the plantation, Tom abandons the life of private thought that structures the lives of most of the novel’s male
“The Grapes of Wrath” is widely known for it’s controversial topics and broad cast of characters, though one of these characters stands out more than some of the others. Jim Casy is constantly shown as a Christ figure, and was also author John Steinbeck’s “vent” to express his own opinions throughout the book.
After meeting Jim Casy and traveling to California with his family, Tom starts to change his idea of see others and the world. Well walking to his father’s house, Tom encounters Jim Casy a former preacher he knew. Tom takes a break and they catch up with what is going on with their lives. This is one of the first examples of how Tom is starting to be more social after being in prison for four years. During their talk Casy gives Tom the idea that,”Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of.”(Steinbeck 33) Casy tries to explain to Tom that he believes that everyone in the world are just one big family. This simple idea later makes Tom leave his family so he can go help others in need. Without meeting Casy Tom wouldn’t of become the man we see at the end of the novel. Another example of Tom changing as a character is in chapter 16 where he meets a one eyed mechanic. Tom feels bad for the guy and decides to
Luke and Acts tells the story of what Jesus did and taught during his ministry, first in his earthly life and then as the exalted Christ and Lord through his disciples. This essay will outline the various titles Luke used to portray or described Jesus in his two-volume narrative, in doing this we hope to get a better understanding and a complete picture of who Jesus was. Luke in his two volume work described Jesus in numerous ways and I am only going to be discussing four which referred to him as Christ, Lord, Prophet and Savior. The main Christological themes that appear in Luke-Acts highlighted and emphasised on the concept of the “Lord 's Christ”, meaning the coming ruler of God 's people, who will serve as their Savior and performing prophetic work [2 pg. 123-143]. Moreover, Jesus’s role was not assumed on his own initiative, but rather it was the work of God. Thus we can say that God’s work and plans were at the center of the Book of Acts and Luke’s gospel [1 pg 22].