The central theme of Steinbeck's novels is Human conscious. To discuss the theme he has chosen real men and women as characters of his works and has studied their lives and motives in the solid background of reality there lies his master craftsmanship as an artist of fiction. He has portrayed galaxy of characters such as thieves, drunkards, rascals, mentally-retarded, morally-lost, and spiritually deprived men as well as men of high intellectual abilities, philosophic insights, deep-rooted moral visions and great spiritual capabilities. He has projected all walks of life in his fiction such as romantic dreamers and down to earth realists, innocent and corrupt, satanic tempters to the redeemers of mankind- all types of men and women appear in his works.
