Editing John Steinbeck (section)

==Religious views==
Steinbeck was affiliated to the St. Paul's Episcopal Church and he stayed attached throughout his life to [[Episcopalianism]] although Steinbeck later became [[Agnosticism|agnostic]].<ref name="Jackson J. Benson 1984 https://archive.org/details/trueadventuresof00bens/page/248 248"/> Especially in his works of fiction, Steinbeck was highly conscious of religion and incorporated it into his style and themes. The shaping of his characters often drew on the [[Bible]] and the theology of [[Anglicanism]], combining elements of [[Roman Catholicism]] and [[Protestantism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ray |first=William |date=December 1, 2013 |title=John Steinbeck, Episcopalian: St. Paul's, Salinas |url=https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/steinbeck/article/10/2/118/290630/John-Steinbeck-Episcopalian-St-Paul-s-SalinasPart |journal=Steinbeck Review |language=en |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=118–140 |doi=10.5325/steinbeckreview.10.2.0118 |issn=1546-007X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tate |first=William |date=2015 |title=Picturing Religious Experience: George Herbert, Calvin, and the Scriptures by Daniel W. Doerksen (review) |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/738719. |journal=Christianity & Literature |volume=64 |issue=3 |pages=365–368 |doi=10.1177/0148333115574407 |issn=2056-5666}}</ref>

Steinbeck distanced himself from religious views when he left Salinas for Stanford. However, the work he produced still reflected the language of his childhood at Salinas, and his beliefs remained a powerful influence within his fiction and non-fiction work. William Ray considered his Episcopal views are prominently displayed in ''The Grapes of Wrath'', in which themes of conversion and self-sacrifice play a major part in the characters Casy and Tom, who achieve spiritual transcendence through conversion.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ray |first1=William |title=John Steinbeck, Episcopalian: St. Paul's, Salinas, Part One |journal=Steinbeck Review |date=December 11, 2013 |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=118–140 |id={{Project MUSE|530751}} |doi=10.5325/steinbeckreview.10.2.0118 |s2cid=142177070 }}</ref>