In the novel "Grapes Of Wrath", there are numerous characters that resembled biblical characters. The most obvious one of all the characters is Jim Casy. Jim Casy represents a modern day Jesus Christ who tries to bring independence to the migrant families heading west. .
Although Jim Casy shares initials with Jesus Christ, there are many other examples that allow the readers to connect the idea that Jim Casy is a modern day saviour. One example of this is that like Christ, Casy also went into the wilderness to do some soul searching and find the answers to some hidden questions. Casy stated this at the Joad's dinner table while he was saying grace " I been in the hills, thinkin" , almost you might say like Jesus went into the wilderness to think His way out of a mess of troubles"(109). He even continues this " I got tired like Him I got mixed up like Him I went into the wilderness like Him without no camping stuff" (110). Casy might not have realized it but he himself suggested to the readers that he might be the Jesus Christ of the story.
Another similarity between Jim Casy and Jesus Christ is seen when Casy decides to go off on his own and joins the union that tries to prevent wages from falling even further. This can be seen in the bible when Christ and his disciples try to spread the word of God. Many of these people whom Jesus touched wanted to follow him but didn't because of they feared being persecuted by society. This is exactly like the migrants who worked; they feared the government retaliating against the troublemakers or "reds".
The biggest resemblance between Christ and Casy is the crucifixion. When security officers find Casy and his other union members, they initiate the struggle, that results in the death of Casy. An axe handle killed Casy, and after his death the wages dropped. The Romans killed Christ because his views conflicted with that of the Romans. Just as the death of Casy resulted in the wages dropping, Christ's death led to the upper class citizens getting a stronghold on the Christian members of society.