He was not over thirty. His eyes were very dark brown and there was a hint of brown pigment in his eyeballs. His cheek bones were high and wide, and strong deep lines cut down his cheeks, in curves beside his mouth. His upper lip was long, and since his teeth protruded, the lips stretched to cover them, for this man kept his lips closed. His hands were hard, with broad fingers and nails as thick and ridged as little clam shells. The space between thumb and forefinger and the hams of his hands were shiny with callus.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 2. This is a physical description of the hitchhiker, Tom Joad, the protagonist of the novel. He is at the prime of his life and has just been released from serving a four-year prison sentence for homicide. He is portrayed as strong and intense and a hard-working man.