Jim Casy: An Unlikely American Transcendentalist

In John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, Jim Casy is depicted as a philosophical, Christ-like teacher who triumphs over the evils of society. A literal interpretation of Emerson's philosophy gave birth to Casy's new doctrine of Love. As he evolves from a preacher of the old to a practitioner of the new, some believe that Jim Casy demonstrates remarkable similarities to Jesus Christ. These similarities are impressed upon not only Tom Joad, but also …

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