In Saving Grace, religion plays a huge role in the novel and affects the vast majority of the main characters. Religion is the main driving factor in the novel that moves the plot in many scenarios, and even when it is not at the forefront of the plot, it is always an underlying theme. Grace and her father are both very influenced by religion, as are the rest of their family, although Grace and Virgil are the two who really show the connections to religion. For starters, religion is the driving force that pushes the novel forward. The entire Grace family is deeply buried in religion, although they may not be the best at actually showing it. Grace Shepherd herself, for example, believes she is saved, even though she proclaims that she hates Jesus because "he made us start traveling in his name, living with strangers and in tents and old school buses" (Smith Pg. 3) A Many of his life's problems stem from his father, Virgil Shepherd, a snake-handling preacher who sees his work as a "sign" that God really exists. However, throughout the story, he is also exposed as a womanizer who uses the serpent idea that God forgives him to get away with his misdeeds every time he "lapses". His journey through the novel is about trying to discover who he is and what he truly believes, along with the pursuit of happiness. Because of these roles in the story, religion is a persistent force that furthers the plot in multiple areas. For Virgil Pastore, religion is a scapegoat that he can use to promote his own ideals. Throughout the plot, he uses his status as a preacher to further his reputation. He travels and drags his family with him, abusing and neglecting them the entire way. She constantly tries to find her daughters and starts handling hot coals like her mother did in the service of Jesus. It seems that she is following her faith to be in a different way than her mother and father in the end. Religion plays an important role in the story and lives of these characters, as with many southern people, religion was also an important focus in life if they didn't always appear as they were. Religion, even if it wasn't the topic at hand in the story, was always an underlying theme closely linked to all the other important parts of the book. Virgil always used religion to his advantage as he could, but in the end he still managed to do good even as a bad person. As for Grace, her struggle with faith shows the twists and turns life can take and how religion can still deal with trials and tribulations..