On his way to the farm, Tom Joad recognizes a man from his past. Reverend Jim Casey, the man, was a preacher at the church Joad attended as a child. The Reverend rides along with Tom, and the two get to talking and learn quite a bit about each other. Jim Casey tells Joad about how he is no longer a preacher because of the sinful things he used to do to little girls. He also admits to not truly believing in the religion any longer. "Maybe it's all men an' all woman we love; maybe that's the Holy Sperit- the human sperit- the whole shebang (Steinbeck 24)." He finishes off by saying, "I ain't preachin' no more. The sperit ain't in the people much no more, an' worse'n that, the sperit ain't in me no more (Steinbeck 20)." By the time they reach Joad's family farm, there is nothing left there except for dust. Although I find Jim Casey to be a worthless man for what he did to those poor little girls, I do think it is sad that he lost all passion for his religion. That being said, he is a total hypocrite for not believing in men when it is sick men like him that lose the trust in the first place. This is also the chapter in which Joad admits to not regretting the murder he committed. "I'd do what I done again (Steinbeck 25)," he said.
The next chapter dates back to when the landowners are evicting the tenant farmers. I guess the novel incorporates chapters of foreshadowing and some of flashbacks, but I am a little confused because I haven't been able to completely grasp this concept yet. Anyways, tractors are used to get rid of these dusted out farms, and the sad part is that the tractor drivers are friends and neighbors of the farmers. It all goes back to humanity. People were suffering so much that they'd do anything, even if that meant causing harm to a friend, in order to make a few bucks. As the tractors came in, a great example of the Transitive Property of Geometry was used. "The land bore-under iron, and iron gradually died; for it was not loved or hated, it had no prayers or curses (Steinbeck 36)." If this were geometry a problem it would be set up like this: If land = under iron and under iron = dead, then land = dead. Mr. Bryan would be so proud.
[Bibliography]
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.
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