Steinbeck's family saga in the Salinas Valley explicitly parallels Cain and Abel. The word "timshel" (thou mayest) becomes the philosophical anchor: choice, not fate, not God, is the gift and burden of human life. Readers consistently name it the book they think about most. Steinbeck called it his magnum opus; critics disagreed. The readers were right.

The case for it, the case against, and the rest of the canon open with Pro.