The text offers an in depth exploration of individual and family problems against a backdrop of farming in rural central California.
Steinbeck's objective narration allows readers to enter the psyche of the characters and to judge the actions and decisions of those characters for themselves. Throughout the book, Steinbeck explores themes familiar to his later works, such as farming in rural America, the importance of landscape, human frailties, and family and marital relationships. He also delves into controversial subject matter such as mental instability and the oppression of Native Americans. He uses the fertile valley named Las Pasturas del Cielo, or the Pastures of Heaven, not simply as a backdrop, but as an entity that plays an integral role in the success or failure of the residents.
