After Ms. Burdett mentioned being able to write a post about Jim Casy, I started to think about why Steinbeck had included his character to add into the Joad family.
In chapter 16, while Tom and Casy are fixing the car by themselves and talking, Casy says, "'Yeah, but when a fence comes up at ya, ya gonna climb that fence'" (237). How he said what he said made it seem like he was all-knowing, similar to how in "The Great Gatsby" there was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg which seemed to be like the all-knowing eyes of God. Casy knew that he did, maybe just because that's what everyone had to do in those hard times. Since Casy was a preacher, did Steinbeck put his character into the story so that as a reader we could look to him for the truth in the story? Or is Casy's character telling us what the Joads are doing, and is going to guide the Joads in certain ways throughout the story?
While I was reading the text, I noticed that their might also be a connection with his name and God. In other words, Jim Casy and Jesus Christ happen to start in the same letters. Purpose to this?
Good observation, Mary-Kate. In literature, the initials J.C. are often supposed to bring to mind Jesus Christ. The next thing to consider is what Steinbeck's point is - is Casy a literal Christ figure? Is he a new, 1930s-version of a Christ figure? How is Casy an influential figure in the Joad family? (These are all questions to continue to ponder as we move forward.)
ReplyDeleteJim Casy is a very big part of the Joad's adventure west, and seems to have an explanation or advice for almost any predicament. It is also interesting how Casy said he still prays and does many of the same things that he did while he was a preacher. Maybe his aura of guidance has stuck with him, allowing him to show the Joad's a lit path for them to follow. One thing still is questionable, why did Casy jump at an opportunity to follow Tom to meet up with his family in the earlier chapters? What is his gain? Did he leave anything behind?
ReplyDeleteAs Adrian said, Jim Casy does always seem to have advice for the family. He continues to, not necessarily preach, but talk for longer periods of time about certain issues. This could also be related to him being a Jesus-like figure, he is sort of preaching to them but its more life lessons than it is lessons straight from a Bible. It is also sometimes just musing and wondering, which I feel in a way could be Steinbeck voicing what the reader might be thinking through a character, and thus allowing other characters to respond.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Eliza and Adrian. that Jim Casy has been preaching in a way by just talking about lessons that he's pondering upon, and always seems to come to some sort of a conclusion. I also noticed that even though he does still pray, when people ask him to pray, he doesn't want to. He says that he doesn't know what to say, and it's almost like he's a new believer who's not sure of themselves. An example of when he was acting like this was when Sairy Wilson was sick and she wanted him to pray for her before the Joads left, but he couldn't pray out loud because he didn't know what to say. Is Steinbeck trying to show us that Casy is a Christ figure, but also shows the problems that normal people have as Christians? Is he using Casy as a guide for the Joads for the plot of the story, or is he sending a message to the reader?
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