"A man sat on the ground, leaning against the trunk of the tree. His legs were crossed and one barefoot extended nearly as high as his head." (Pg. 25) That comfortable man was Jim Casy. At this point in the book Tom Joad meets the ex-preacher. Tom invites Casy along with him to find his family, once they find the rest of the Joads; Casy is invited to go on the journey to California with them in hopes of prosperity. Casy"s initial introduction of a comfortable, simple man is truly a misleading understatement of his true character. Jim Casy, is a very complex, and dynamic man. He has an almost a Christ-like existence. .

             Jim Casy is an interesting, and complicated man. He can be seen as a modern day Christ figure, minus the belief in the Christian faith. The initials of his name, J.C., are the same as Jesus Christ. Casy was hailed and respected by many for being a preacher. Casy and Jesus both saw a common goodness in the average man and saw every person as holy. Both Christ and Casy faced struggles between their ideals versus the real world. (Despite Casy's honesty, goodness, and loyalty to all men, he would not earn a meal or warm place to stay. Although Jesus had many followers, still others opposed his preaching.) Casy once said, "I gotta see them folks that's gone out on the road. I gotta feelin' I got to see them. They gonna need help no preachin' can give 'em. Hope of heaven when their lives ain't lived? Holy Sperit when their own sperit is downcast an' sad?" Casy wished to reach out to others in spite of his own troubles. He wanted to give them sprit, hope and rejuvenate their souls. Jesus too felt that need. When Casy is saying grace in chapter eight, he compares himself to Jesus: "I been in the hills, thinkin', almost you might say like Jesus wen into the wilderness to think His way out of troubles." Casy was beginning to feel confused, troubled and stressful about his faith, but when he went into the wilderness and rediscovered nature, he was a new man with a newfound faith.