In the tent of Ezra Huston, chairman, the Central Committee of five men went into meeting. Huston, a tall spare man, wind-blackened, with eyes like little blades, spoke to his committee, one man from each sanitary unit.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 24. This chapter explores the theme of togetherness at Weedpatch. At the government camp migrants successfully govern themselves. In this passage their representatives led by Ezra Huston meet to devise a plan to preempt a riot planned by the Farmers’ Association with the collusion of police. Huston is an important and influential leader figure among the migrant workers. Therefore he is regarded as a threat by the authorities, with police keen to arrest him. In a simile his eyes are likened to "little blades," suggesting his sharpness and alertness.