Megan Grogan. Mrs. Arnold. English 1301.78. 17 April 2017.

‘When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle” was stated by Edmund Burke. This quote can be tied to the struggles and sacrifices of the migrant workers against the tractor drivers and people who drive them off their own land in Grapes of Wrath. The concept of sacrifice is depicted in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath through the actions of the characters Jim Casy and Tom Joad. In the novel, Jim Casy, a former preacher takes a stand against the deputies who keep forcing the migrant workers to relocate elsewhere and making them unable to unite in one place. Casy’s defiance leads to him sacrificing his life for the fair treatment of what the deputies call “Okies” or those from Oklahoma. Casy’s sacrifice sparks Tom Joad, who was a friend of his and was baptized by him, to take a stand against the unfairness of the deputies. Tom becomes a sacrificial lamb and decides to carry on what Casy tried to do. As you can see, the concept of sacrifice is evident in Jim Casy’s actions when he sacrifices his life to unify the migrant workers against those who try to drive them out and also Tom Joad who decides to risk it as well to finish what Casy

In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck delves deep into each character thoroughly. Throughout the book, Steinbeck uses intricate descriptions in order to depict the development and subtleties of each character. Each character has a unique personality that essentially develops into new qualities and attributes. Such development is seen in many characters throughout the book, including Rose of Sharon. She is seen as immature at the start of the book, but by the end, she quickly learns to take the world into account and grows to become less selfish. This is only one of the substantial growths in character can be seen in the characters of this novel. One of the many characters in this novel that greatly

Furthermore, Crockett’s second analysis agues that the ending of The Grapes of Wrath is not purposeless, but hopeful. Again, Crockett is mistaken. Near the end of the book, the Joad family is in shambles; Rose of Sharon is sick, her baby dies, the family loses their possessions in the flood, and several other calamities befall them. Where is the hope? Understandably, many dissenters—Crockett included—will protest that the breast-feeding scene does constitute as hopeful. Dissenters will argue that the scene is symbolic of community because the mother’s milk, which is designated for her children, is shared with someone of no relation to her. Figuratively speaking then, strangers become family, through this act of benevolence. But, these dissenters neglect the death of Rose of Sharon’s

As we look at the characters within the story, they exemplify and convey the souls present in the bible. Jim Casy forms an obvious parallel with Jesus Christ, as a preacher who proves his dissatisfaction and unrest in his view of the establishment, and has abandoned his preaching style of his earlier life. Just as Jesus changed from the teaching of the Old Testament to promote greater self-discipline and a New Harmony. Tom Joad follows Casy initially, learning from him, until he is ready to take over the message himself after Jim Casy dies, which can be seen as a symbol of his disciple. Just like Christ followers carried on and shared the messages to form the idea that Jesus is still alive even after he died, Tom continued to teach the preachings of Casy once he dies a martyr 's death.Casy is also a prophet and Christ-like figure and we see this when he says: "You don 't know what you 're a doin, '" which reminds us of the

Self-sacrifice is an act done by many, specifically Roselily. “Roselily” by Alice Walker is a story about Roselily, a woman getting married for her children to have a better life. Because of this marriage, Roselily sacrifices numerous aspects of life for her children. Alice Walker shows that self-sacrifice is a life-changing decision through various aspects of Roselily’s marriage, such as religion, cultural norms, and having to leave everything she’s known, all for the sake of her children’s well being.

When examining John Steinbeck’s, Grapes of Wrath’” he details the story of the Joads an Oklahoma family on their way to California in the midsts of the Dust Bowl. As he discusses their journey towards the american dream he inserts several intercalary chapters that break up the discussion of the Joads and shifts the focus towards the things that symbolizes them. In the novel there are several intercalary chapters that are used to depict the lies and deceit that occurs to the Joads right under their nose.

“You don’ know what you’re a-doin’,” were Casy’s last words before he died as a martyr. Casy died for his cause, his belief that the elite were not truly aware of how their greed was causing the suffering of the weak and that the weak could only surpass their sorrows if they worked together. Steinbeck uses chapter 25 of Grapes of Wrath to portray this very message. Steinbeck uses an array of rhetorical devices such as symbolism and the use of a instructive tone which gives the reader a sense of being sermonized to portray the greed of the elite and how that fuels the wrath of the weak, while also empowering the weak to join together and warning the elite of the inevitable consequences of

ordeals of the trip, that she is in fact gaining a much wider community of people. She states this at the end of the novel quite clearly when she says: “Use’ ta be the fambly was fust. It ain’t so now. It’s anybody. Worse off we get, the more we got to do.” (569) Ma Joad’s selfless actions throughout the novel are the direct portrayal of Jim Casy’s ideals. Her every action is in

Throughout time there have been an abundant amount of well-respected individuals who have let their flaws lead to their downfall. O.J. Simpson is a prime example of a tragic flaw leading to a downfall. O.J. Simpson was a luminary football player and actor who let his tragic flaw of anger and jealousy get the best of him. His tragic flaw led him to a life of crime including the alleged murder of two people, robbery, and kidnapping.

When he was no longer a preacher, Casy still wants to help others find their spiritual connection. This is first shown through Casy preaching his ideas about life to Tom. Throughout the novel, Casy passes on his knowledge to Tom, who represents his disciple. Both characters develop as spiritual individuals throughout the novel. Peter Lisca, the author of the critical article, “The Grapes of Wrath as Fiction” backs up this point by saying, “The development of Jim Casy is similar to that of Tom. He moves from Bible-belt evangelism to social prophecy. At the beginning of the book he has already left preaching and has returned from ‘in the hills, thinkin,’ almost you might say like Jesus went into the wilderness to think His way out of a mess of troubles.” The importance of this is that Steinbeck wants the characters to have a

Above all it showed everyone that these "damn Okies" were all simply men, women, and children, no different from anyone else, just poorer (Frohock 133). They were human beings with feelings and not the uncivilized beasts they were portrayed as at the time. John Steinbeck carefully molded his story The Grapes of Wrath to encompass many themes and ideas. To help enforce his message Steinbeck included several Biblical allusions. John Steinbeck uses Biblical allusions to create the theme that strength to survive comes from faith by using characters and events. Steinbeck creates the theme of the novel by alluding the characters in his story to characters in the Bible. Jim Casy is an allusion to Jesus Christ. They have the same initials and live their lives as examples of their beliefs: Jesus to the world as Casy is to Tom (Rombold 149). Casy even compares himself to Christ when he says, "I got tired like Him, an' I got mixed up like Him, an' I went into the wilderness like Him, without no campin' stuff" (105). In the first half of the book Casy is thinking and forming his ideas. He changes from a thinker to a man of action when he sacrifices himself for Tom (Slade 242). When in prison Casy sees the advantage of organizing people to achieve a common goal. When Casy tried to put his ideas into action he, like Christ, aroused the antagonism of the people in authority and was brutally killed. He died, like Christ saying to his crucifiers,

Hispanics who own a Lowrider have always been frowned upon within the United States. Lowriders have been around since the 1920’s and still live strong today. Lowriding is a lifestyle that privileged Hispanics are able to be apart of. It is a way for Hispanics to express their culture through their vehicles with custom paint jobs, lowered suspension, hydraulics, murals, and rims. Lowriders have been around since the 1920’s, but did not include hydraulics or custom rims until the 1950’s. There are 794 registered Lowrider car clubs with the National Lowrider Club Registry to date. (National Lowrider Club Registry) There is a large population of Hispanic gang members

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

In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the characters migrate from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression. A stressful journey like this can cause a change in anyone. One character that goes through a change that signifies a theme in the story is Rose of Sharon.

After arriving at the peach farm, Tom ventures out that night, and stumbles upon Jim Casy and a few other men in a ravine. Casy frequently articulated his ideas of the oversoul, and after being imprisoned, Casy feels that he found his true purpose in life, and spoke to Tom about the importance of unity, which inspired Tom greatly. Jim’s death inspired Tom even more, for Jim died for a cause he believed in, “Tom looked down at the preacher. The light crossed the heavy man’s legs and the white new pick handle. Tom leaped silently.” (pg386). Jim’s death left Tom on a mission, a mission to spread his ideology. Tom then realized that the migrants had to unite or else they would die, and they would never succeed. Tom’s final conversation with Ma was deeply profound, and his final influence over her would travel to the rest of the family, “‘Well, maybe like Casy says, a fella ain’t got a soul of his own, but on’y a piece of a big one-an’then-...Then it don’t matter. Then I’ll be all aroun’ in the dark. I’ll be ever’where-wherever you look...See? God, I’m talkin’ like Casy.’” (pg419). Tom’s “I’ll be there” speech was his final influence, and his final impact moment of the book. He reaches a full understanding of the oversoul and the need for unification, and this is his epiphany along with all the other