Flies buzzed excitedly about the doors and windows, butting the screens.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 2. Throughout this chapter, and others, Steinbeck paints detailed imagery with beautifully descriptive word pictures. The flies butting against the restaurant screen is foreshadowing of the American workers’ struggle, as they hopelessly strive for a better future which is ultimately unattainable.