They hesitated on the edge of the shade and then they plunged into the yellow sunlight like two swimmers hastening to get to shore. After a few fast steps they slowed to a gentle, thoughtful pace. The cornstalks threw gray shadows sideways now, and the raw smell of hot dust was in the air.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 4. Tom Joad approaches the family homestead with Jim Casy. As they do the yellow sunshines breaks through. In a simile they are compared to two swimmers trying to reach the shore. But the fact that the stalks of corn throw shadows of gray is suggestive of a loss of hope. And indeed the pair see that the Joad family house has been deserted.