didn’t have no soul that was his’n. Says he foun’ he jus’ got a little piece of a great big soul…his little piece of a soul wasn’t no good ‘less it was with the rest, an’ was whole” (70). This is the basic philosophy that the togetherness of the migrants is based on. Yet, at the start of the book, Casy only seems to be stumbling upon these ideas. He appears to be experiencing doubts about his former life and his lifestyle and beliefs as a preacher, rather than any doubts about the nature of mankind. His thoughts seem to be more focused around himself than the condition of the migrants. For example, Casy tells Tom that he is “just Jim Casy now. Ain’t got the call no more. Got a lot of sinful idears—but they seem to be kina sensible” (27). His skepticism regarding the true meaning of the sins that mankind commits is more centered on his duty as a preacher, than on human nature. He starts to present some philosophical ideas at the start of the novel, but it is not until later that he reaches a complete understanding of such ideas.The first sign of Casy’s transition to a “we” level of thinking becomes evident when he and Tom find the rest of the Joad family. When the Joads are preparing to depart for their journey to California, Casy decides that he needs to join them. He says, “I need to be where the people are” (128). His statement proves his need to remain as part of the whole, since he believes that this itself is holy. As the Joads continue onto their journey, Casy begins to increase his understanding of the wholeness of the human spirit. He begins to understand that it is the unity and bonds between the people that will keep them strong and will help them survive. Yet, at this point, Casy continues to simply share his philosophy of attaining unity and remains a rather passive character, in that he does not perform any actions r...
