In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the author uses the character Jim Casy to illuminate the unification of the migrant workers. He gained power through relinquishing his title as a preacher and speaking from his heart, rather than from the Bible. Through his non-religious persona, Jim Casy is able to be an influential force in his community by organizing a union. Jim Casy represents Christ and brings spiritual stability to the migrant families throughout the novel. The church helped to develop this part of his character by forcing him to form his own ideas about God, holiness, sin, and the Holy Spirit. When Casy is first introduced, he is having a hard time with his own ideology, but he is starting to influence his fellow man in understandable ways. Casy’s mentality is that all souls are just a smaller portion of a larger soul. Being one with the Holy Spirit means accepting others regardless of the sins they have committed, “There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do. It's all part of the same thing” (Steinbeck 26). Jim realizes that these beliefs will not be accepted in a traditional religious community, so he declares himself no longer a preacher. Although he leaves the church, he continues to be a motivational speaker and teacher. When Jim Casy is reacquainted with Tom Joad, Joad confesses to murder, without …show more content…
He tells Tom that when a single prisoner protested against the poor quality of food, nothing happened. But when all of the prisoners complained together, the quality of food improved drastically. At this point he realizes that his purpose in life is to bring the migrant workers together into organized unions so that they can improve their living conditions. He knows that by being the the leader of these unions and strikes will put him in a dangerous position that could cost him his life. Though he will gladly sacrifice himself for the good of