Skill and craftsmanship in the works of Steinbeck In Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, The Red Pony and The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck professes his admiration for the a man who demonstrates competence and know-how in his work. A man who does his job extremely well is, by extension in Steinbeck's works, a hero who is content to do his best out of affection for his craft - a direct contrast to the multitude of humans who are nothing more than fruitless dreamers and unhappy. skill and craftsmanship are particularly evident in a description of Slim in Of Mice and Men: He moved with a majesty achieved only by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerkline skinner, capable of leading ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line toward the leaders. He was able to kill a fly on a roller's butt with a whip without touching the mule. (97) Steinbeck makes it clear that this man's professional prowess must be equated with his authority, understanding, and compassion. Slim is, for example, the only man who tries to comfort George at the end of the novel when his companion, Lennie, dies. When Steinbeck describes Slim as a person whose "authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, whether politics or love" (98), Warren French notes that Steinbeck " breaks its editorial silence...to make it absolutely clear.” how Slim should be regarded" (78). Clearly, Steinbeck values ​​Slim's morally upright character enough to consider it prudent to openly describe his feelings toward him. As for the other characters, he was content to leave an objective description and account of each character's actions on their own merits, Bil...... middle of paper ...... the formidable will of these characters. - those of Slim, Billy Buck, Doc and Casy - to achieve the human ideal. Works cited in French, Warren New York: Twayne, 1961. .------------. -- John Steinbeck. Boston: Twayne, 1975. Heiney, Donald W. Essentials of Contemporary Literature. New York: Barron's, 1958. The Wide World of John Steinbeck. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University. 1958. Mintner, David. “The Fate of Writing During the Great Depression.” http://ocean.st.usm.edu/ ~wsimkins/minter.html>. June 19, 1997. (May 5, 1999). Steinbeck, John. Row of canneries. New York: Bantam, 1945.---------- The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Compass, 1958.----------. Of mice and men. New York: Bantam, 1955.----------. The Red Pony. New York: bantam, 1948.