Religion In John Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath

555 Words3 Pages

When all else fails, religion is what people turn to. However, a multitude of principles and spiritual beliefs established by religious institutions are not always obeyed by all of the people who practice and believe. In the novel, Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, chapters 4-6 present a considerable amount of antireligious sentiments. Contrary to previously holding a large role in a church, Jim Casy is the character in the novel who seems to be the most antireligious. Despite being religious with spiritual aspects of life, Casy seems to be against the concept of religious institution. To demonstrate this specifically, Casy stated, “An’ here with all that responsibility on me I’d just get’em frothin’ with the Holy Sperit, an’ then …show more content…

Specifically, many people find it awfully uncanny that the initials of Jim Casy and Jesus Christ are the same, these being J.C. This seems too odd for it to simply be coincidental. In essence, this makes sense because both Jim Casy and Jesus Christ are associated with religion. However, if Jim Casy is supposed to be even remotely similar to Jesus Christ, his actions would not directly go against the teachings of the church. Jesus Christ would never take a girl out to “lay in the grass” after a religious ceremony, ergo there is no way these chapters could be religious; if they were, Jim Casy would be a quintessential human being who follows all religious principles similar to the way Jesus Christ would have. In chapter 4-6 in the Grapes of Wrath, there are a numerous amount of times where antireligious sentiments are presented. Whether it be Jim Casy’s unholy actions, or his unconventional definition for the “Holy Sperit”, the rules and beliefs of the church directly go against the way Casy wants to live his life. He is not the perfect religious role model and that is clearly evident in these chapters. Given these points, this portion of the novel ultimately possesses anti- religious feelings; despite ideal precepts put in place by religious institutions, several people do not follow