Ralph Waldo Emerson's life experiences create a path that guides the development of his morals and values. Through his journey, he establishes a unique interpretation of life which he culminates in “Self Reliance”. By understanding Emerson's philosophy, John Steinbeck realized his desire to propagate collectivism through The Grapes of Wrath. Aware of the unnecessary amount of conformity and consistency in society, Steinbeck uses his characters to emphasize the importance of self-reliance, as it broadcasts the benefits of collectivism while sparking the development of original ideas that could change society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The notion of self-reliance calls for a change in Jim Casy's life. Throughout his life, the preacher relies on religion to dictate his life and decisions because society emphasizes devotion, thus influencing his decision to preach. Alongside the desire to create happiness for the people he meets, conformism prevents Casy from thinking about his own morals. His inability to act on his own opinion causes religion to consume his life. Emerson maintains: “A senseless coherence is the imp of little minds” (24). Since humanity is "loath to disappoint", Casy constantly preaches "something [he] thought would make them happy" because he could not develop other ways of living that would still make people happy. Constantly relying on religion harms the preacher's ability to form new ideas without outside influence, because "with consistency a great soul simply has no business" (24). Although Jesus dominates the community, Casy finally feels the need for change because "'[he] knows a lot of stories [about Jesus], but [he] only likes people" (23). He understands his failure to allow an unknown person to control his life, accepts his mistakes and commits to acting on his opinion and morals so that his life and the lives of others change for the good. Through his spiritual journey, Casy escapes the religious prison of society and manages to become independent. He "can't say no grace" because he "didn't get the calling" due to his rejection of society's ideals and morals, such as religion. He places more importance on the fact that "there is love here" than on "the spirit" and a person named "Jesus", which influences his decision to stop preaching. Although he does not quite achieve autonomy due to his dependence on religion, he nevertheless develops the basis for "many sinful ideas [that] seem rather sensible" (20). Fueling his spiritual journey, these ideas lay the foundation for Casy's collectivist ideology. Throughout his migration with the Joad family, Casy fully realizes the meaning of community and cooperative life and desires to share his message with civilization. Even as Jim Casy completes his evolution from conformist preacher to innovative philosopher, he must spread his new ideology and operate within the walls of justice, thus fully achieving his autonomy. As Emerson describes it: “It is easy in solitude to live according to our own; but the great man is he who, in the midst of the raven, keeps with perfect gentleness the independence of solitude” (23). Jim Casy understands that his spiritual journey becomes worthless if he neglects the opportunity to work with his collectivist ideals around civilization. Even though people “don’t know what they’re doing,” Casy’s spiritual metamorphosis succeeds because “to be great is to be misunderstood” (25). Aware of the importance of his message, Casy “hits the ground running” and :.