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Morality In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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Morality, principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong, is a characteristic that many people share throughout the world. Every person’s actions are guided by their ethics, but thousands of individuals wonder what influences these certain morals. During the 1930s, citizen’s morals were affected by their religion, as evident in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Within this time period, the main influence of citizen’s ethics is based on religion. The Dust Bowl, the start of the Great Depression, marked the decline of the economy and the end to thousands of farmers lives. With the economy failing, many farmers viewed the dust bowl and the failing economy as their folly which influenced thousands of individuals to go to …show more content…

Jim Casy was a former preacher who left the church because he felt guilty of the sin he was committing and started to doubt God. Despite this, religion still affected his ethics. Maybe, “I figgered,” maybe it's all men an' all women we love; maybe that's the Holy Sperit—the human sperit—the whole shebang. Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of. “Now I sat there thinkin' it, an' all of a suddent—I knew it. I knew it so deep down that it was true, and I still know it” (Steinbeck 24). With these morals, Casy helped everyone he could and helped anyone at any time. There are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works in all (New King James Version, I Cor. 12.6). Despite Casy leaving the church, his morals were still influenced by religion because he still wanted to help everybody as much as …show more content…

When the Joads leave the government camp, they get approached by a mysterious man who offers them a job at a peach farm. When they arrive, men and women are yelling at guards who are guarding the fence to the farm. The Joads enter and settle down into their new job and home, but Tom begins to get curious and ventures beyond the gate to find out what is happening. When he crosses the gate, he encounters Jim Casy. Casy explains to Tom that the people are striking against the farm because the workers were not getting paid what they should have. Then, strikebreakers appear and begin talking to Casy and Tom. The strikebreakers believe that Casy was the strikers leader; so, the strikebreakers decide that they would kill the leader to stop the strike. They hit Casy across the head with a pick handle. This scene illustrates that the native people follow aggressive

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