Broken Religion Renewed Love

Casy, the ex-preacher, has what one might call broken religion.  Once a man of the “Holy Sperit,” Casy decides he doesn’t know Jesus, only “a bunch of stories” (23).  In The Grapes of Wrath, the reader only hears about Casy’s preacher days from Casy’s reflections; the only thing we actually know of Casy is his life after he abandons the church.  This new Casy, this “re-born” Casy, seems in many ways to be more biblical than Preacher-Casy.  He constantly reflects on his life, and tells Tom that he’s still got a lot to “puzzle with” (60).  The ways in which Casy describes his days as a preacher seem to be very sick and perverted, especially given that he would get his congregation excited about the Holy Spirit, and then have sex with one of the girls in the grass outside the church.  Paradoxically, as the reader witnesses the transformation of the un-religious Casy, he seems to become a more Christ-like character.  Casy rejects hypocrisy in his life as he insists that he “ain’t a preacher no more” when the Joads repeatedly ask him to pray before their meal, but agrees to just be “glad to be here” and be “thankful for people that’s kind and generous” (60).  He also fights for the rights of the helpless by going on strike to protest against unfair wages, defending a biblical cause: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed” (Psalm 82:3). 

To a preacher, the possibility that one could reach his true purpose and find life’s meaning outside of the church would be entirely impossible.  But it seems that Casy discovered many biblical principles after he shed all of the labels and legalism, and left them behind.  He admits to Tom that he didn’t think he ever knew God the way he was supposed to, explaining that he discovered he didn’t “know nobody name’ Jesus.  I know a bunch of stories, but I only love people” (23).  Casy becomes less “religious” and more “spiritual.”  He figures, “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 ever’body’s a part of” (24). 

I think it’s really interesting to consider Casy’s newfound outlook on life that involves completely sacrificing himself for the cause of others.  In the event that (indirectly) eventually leads to his death, Casy sacrifices himself to preserve the unity of the Joad family, understanding that their unity was their reason and means of survival.  In a way, although the Joad family ends up in a less than ideal situation, Casy was the savior that gave them a chance at staying together, and a bit of prolonged happiness.