Sacrifice In The Grapes Of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath and the Benefit of Sacrifice

Sacrifices, though often difficult to make, can be ultimately be beneficial. Whether that sacrifice be a job, a person, a lifestyle, or a way of thinking, it can better the lives of everyone involved. A great example of this fact lies in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath when a preacher named Jim Casy sacrifices his position after he has self-proclaimed “sinful ideas”, which he soon discovers to be more sensible and even applicable to his life, and moreover the entire work. When Jim Casy sacrificed his position as a preacher, and, with that, his past values, he opened his mind to accept profound ideas regarding holiness, togetherness, and revolution which ultimately prove to be the themes of the novel as a whole.
It goes without saying that when Jim Casy

was a preacher, he was a very traditionally holy man. He prayed and lead sermons which encouraged others to do the same. It was only when Casy sacrificed his position that he realized his definition of holiness differed from that of the church. Casy’s definition of holiness was more closely tied in with humanity than religion. He explains his realizations to his travel companion Tom Joad by saying, “I figgered, ‘Why do we got to hang it on God or Jesus? Maybe,’ I figgered, ‘maybe it’s all men an’ all women we love; maybe that’s the Holy Sperit- the human sperit- the whole shebang. Maybe all men got one big soul and every’d body’s a part of,’” (Steinbeck 24). By sacrificing his position in church, he found a different position on his morals. He decides that, to him, holiness does not lie in the hands of God or Jesus but in the hands of people and the love they give and receive.
Another value Casy learns after leaving the church is the beauty of togetherness, which includes togetherness with nature, families, neighbors, and all people alike.

When Casy departed from the church, he escaped into nature to ponder his new radical ideas. While on this journey, he discovered the power of being one with nature. He says in a prayer, “There was the hills, an’ there was me, an’ we wasn’t separate no more more. We was one thing. An’ that thing was holy,” (Steinbeck 81). This time alone, or rather, accompanied by nature, allowed Casy’s discoveries to develop, and proved to be the holiest time in his life. Casy’s ideas on togetherness do not end with nature. He even regards the very ideas of working together and loving one another as holy. He explains, “‘But when they’re all workin’ together, not one fella for another fella, but one fella kind of harnessed the whole shebang- that’s right, that’s holy,’” (Steinbeck 81). Togetherness, to Casy, is the very definition of holiness and beauty. Just as a church and sermons are to a preacher, nature and the oneness of people are to Casy; the natural world and humanity as one is holiness to Jim

Casy.
As a preacher, Casy went about his days like an average man would, but after he sacrificed his position, he realized all the inhumanities around him, especially regarding the government and economy, and his new perspective drove him to protest against the ways of life in California. After he leaves prison for taking the blame for Tom’s confrontation with an officer, Casy takes the responsibility of trying to organize farmers and have them go on strike in response to the unlivable wages they were receiving. Even though he is aware that this is highly dangerous (it is previously mentioned in the novel that men who try to organize and demand higher wages end up dead), Casy still fights for what he believes to be right for the farmers. Even in his final moments when he tries to explain himself and his work to officers, he is full of passion for justice. “‘Listen,’ he said. ‘You fellas don’ know what you’re doin’. You’re helpin’ to starve kids,’” (Steinbeck 386). Though he knows that even by attempting to help his people he is angering the officers, he pushes their rage even farther by saying such a drastic statement, which led to his murder by the men. This takes great bravery on his part, bravery that is fueled by his hunger for what is right.
In essence, Jim Casy’s sacrifice of the church lead to, as sacrifices often do, the discovery of new values, genius ideas, and ultimately more intense subjects to preach about to anyone who would listen. By finding himself in nature and outside of the church, Casy also found his own definitions of holiness, learned the value of togetherness, and discovered his passion for justice. Steinbeck used Jim Casy as a sort of messenger of his own values and ideas, and had Casy deliver these many themes of the novel. Because Casy sacrificed his position as a preacher, he gained a new meaning to himself, and his ideas became the very meaning of Steinbeck’s work.