Grapes of Wrath Term Paper

Grapes of Wrath

There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do," Jim Casy tells Tom in Chapter Four of The Grapes of Wrath. This quote from Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel illustrates the author's ability to celebrate humanity and embrace human faults with compassion. A former preacher who learns through experience that judging human beings according to strict moral doctrine is no way to cultivate compassion, Casy poignantly embodies Steinbeck's vision of "Man's proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit." Through Casy's character as well as through protagonist Tom Joad, Steinbeck exposes human faults while simultaneously celebrating the loftiest ideals of the human heart and spirit.Jim Casy struggled with the conflict between natural sexual desires and the priestly calling until he realized that "It's all part of the same thing." This theme of balance runs through The Grapes of Wrath. Tom Joad is no innocent man; he has killed another human being and has witnessed and experienced the darker side of humanity. However, Tom triumphs by inspiring hope among the migrant workers and laborers and proves to be an invaluable source of inspiration for his family.

Ma Joad emerges as a central character in promoting Steinbeck's optimistic view of the….....