Jim Casy's changes
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." This quotation by Helen Keller demonstrated the risks that are involved in everyday life. With every risk a person takes, change comes hand in hand with it. Some of the changes may be internal or external. The external changes are easier to see than the internal changes, but both changes occur in about the same way. Change is a slow and gradual process that defines the true character of a person's personality. A problem, or crisis, can often cause some of the most dramatic change in a person, even if the change is forced. In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, many of the characters undergo personal changes that leave a significant impact on their life. Searching for acceptance within, Jim Casy changed from a town preacher, to part of the Joad family, to a leader in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. In the beginning of the novel, Jim Casy's open mind permitted him to talk about his past, to listen to other people, and to realize the value of opinions. At the beginning of the novel, Jim Casy reflected on the main aspects that ruled his life as a preacher and as a person. He told Tom Joad that he refused to be a preacher anymore because he had lost the spirit of God. Ca
Near the end of the novel, Jim Casy began his final progression into a leader for all the migrant workers as he began his crusade for human rights. In Chapter 20, the preacher began to sense that not everything was as fair in California as it was made out to be. He began to see the ruthlessness of the California owners in their refusal to raise the pay wages in order for that the starving families could eat. When the family arrived at Hooversville, Casy wanted to help make the living conditions more endurable for the people. He felt that he had listened long enough to the people and that now action was required in order to help the people. Casy felt the need to pray again, but he also knew that prayers would not be able to feed and clothe the people. The preacher wanted to do something constructive to help all the workers around him, but he knew he could not offer anything because he was in the same boat as they were. He knew that the people were at their breaking point and that something was about to occur. When a riot broke out, Jim Casy showed his loyalty to Tom Joad when he assumed the blame for what he did not do. In order to protect Tom Joad's freedom, Casy convinced Tom to let him assume the blame and punishment. He knew the consequences, but he also knew that family togetherness was one of the most important things to the Joads. Casy knew the family needed to stay together or the unique bond that they possessed would be broken and the spirit of the family would be crushed. When Casy informed the cop, "I knocked out your man there," he progressed into the final stages of being a leader. Casy offered his dignity for Tom Joad and he expected nothing in return but the satisfaction of knowing that he had helped the people whom had taken him in. By the giving of himself, he was able to find the leader inside himself and was able to act upon it. In Chapter 24, Casy turned into a leader for all the migrant workers when he started a labor strike at the plantation. Casy took a stand for all the basic human rights of the pickers and he formed a union to try to save the dignity of all the people. He started a strike that grabbed people's attention and gave them the hope that they needed to continue on their struggle for life in California. The preacher became the unofficial leader of the group, not because he was elected, but because he was the person who had the most to say about the situation. After being hunted by animals, Jim Casy was killed by the police for his protesting of the value system that had been set by the owners in California. Casy challenged the authority of the people and when he refused to back down, they smashed him over the head and he was killed almost instantaneously. The impact that Casy left on the people was far-reaching and he gave them the faith i
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Approximate Word count = 1882
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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