Shoeless Joe

In the novel Shoeless Joe, the game of baseball is a symbol of human need to hold onto something, anything, in a faithless age. Is the writer trying to present the game of baseball as a metaphor for religion or is he trying to evoke a sense of religion?

Ray's baseball field is a metaphor for a number of things: a second chance, a place of refuge for healing past hurts, for the restoration of lost dreams, and for providing new beginnings or opportunities. Is the baseball field symbolic of anything more than the things mentioned above?

The characters in Shoeless Joeexpress regret over the missed opportunities of their lives. The novel portrays the fundamental need of humans to reaffirm the feelings that were left unexpressed or not shared with others. Find evidence in the novel that supports or contradicts the above statement.