He did use a trowel for that ending imagery in Grapes of Wrath, but talk about some easily available symbols - for example, if anyone mentions seeing the Joads out on a road or parking lot, etc, you know exactly what they mean. Steinbeck's touch was much lighter in the short stories. I've loved all of the novels that I've read except East of Eden, where Cathy Trask and those dysfunctional sons were just too much after a while. I was about 2/3 through the audiobook when I finally admitted defeat.

Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday with Doc (based on Ed Ricketts) were wonderful to spend time with. His non-fiction is also excellent. The Log From the Sea of Cortez - I remember laughing out loud when he wrote about how gray whales have bad breath when you get up close to them.