Blog #12-Analysis of Jim Casy (The Grapes of Wrath)

The preacher of the story, Jim Casy, is the weird character of the story. At the beginning he is a family friend of the Joad family, and acts as so, but as the story moves along, he becomes more of a risk taker and rebellion. He struggles throughout the entire story debating on whether or not he is a preacher. He says he is not, but he acts like he is. Throughout the story he repeats gospel and he says prayers, but reassures everyone time and time again that he is not a preacher anymore (Steinbeck 70). It is evident that throughout the story Jim Casy is the one who gives moral support and reasoning to all that happens during the trip. He has a lot of respect for the Joad family considering they let him hitch a ride to California on the back of their wagon. He tries to stay out of the way as best as possible because he knows that he is an outsider in the situation. He has a lot of respect for Tom especially because he knows how Tom was in jail and how much Tom risked to leave the state lines with his family. Jim Casy died risked himself for Tom (Steinbeck 386-387) so that Tom could move on with his family. Jim and Tom both helped each other to transform in the story. Jim Casy transformed as a person and a preacher. He used is God-given talent to help organize and move the migrating people. He also risked his life for Tom, which help Tom transform from the man he was in jail to a family man and civil human being. Personally I did not like Jim Casy. He helped with explaining and setting some of the themes in the novel, but he was a very odd character. He was very quiet and stuck to himself most of the time when I think he should have been helping the Joad family make decisions about travel, since he was a part of their group now. Overall, he helped the Joad family to look at their trouble and journey as in a new prospective, holy, which he continued to imply toward the end of the story.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York. Viking Penguin Inc. 1939