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In this page, Casy is having a revelation in which he realizes that perhaps people are not really connected with God or Jesus. Instead, people are all really connected with each other. Though they are all individualand separate, together they are connected and part of one big soul. This is nearly identical to Emerson's definition, which he describes as "the soul of the whole....to which every part and particle is equally related."
II. The Chemistry of the Land Steinbeck uses the oversoul here to explain what makes a man and the land: He says that elements such as nitrates, phosphates, and carbons are components, but they don't make it complete. He says it is much more that just chemistry and these components. According to Emerson, the soul is what understands and controls these components. Steinbeck applies this to show how the men who use the land for big business do not have this and are not part of the oversoul. |
