Grapes of Wrath Term Paper

Total Length: 415 words ( 1 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 0

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….....

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


Related Essays

The Great Gatsby Essay

“the greatest American novel.” Fans of Steinbeck believe The Grapes of Wrath best encompass what it means to be American—in the construction of the nation, the development of the American west, and in the pioneer spirit of adventure and hardship that has shaped this country. Disciples of Hemingway argue that The Sun Also Rises is more fitting for this distinction, and still others argue that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird best demonstrates truth and justice as it existed during the racially tense period of the Great Depression. Hence, they feel that these qualities make it the great American… Continue Reading...

The Character of the Oklahomans

Their story was even preserved by the American author John Steinbeck in the novel The Grapes of Wrath, which told about the Okies moving to California. Half a million Oklahomans migrated west during the Dust Bowl but they did not find life any easier in California. As History (2009) notes, “Okies faced discrimination, menial labor and pitiable wages upon reaching California. Many of them lived… Continue Reading...

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Grapes Of Wrath" (2004, August 31) Retrieved May 22, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/grapes-wrath-173307

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Grapes Of Wrath" 31 August 2004. Web.22 May. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/grapes-wrath-173307>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Grapes Of Wrath", 31 August 2004, Accessed.22 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/grapes-wrath-173307