Describe the atmosphere that is created by the imagery in the first two paragraphs of the novel

There is a very organic sense to the first two paragraphs of the novel. There is a majesty about nature that Steinbeck points out, with the “golden foothill slopes of the Gabilan Mountains,” and the “recumbent limbs and branches” of sycamore trees. The weather is gentle and the natural world caries on, indifferent to the many men that travel through it. The natural setting has permanence to it. It can be beautiful but it can also be harsh as animals live and die even in the soothing atmosphere of the afternoon.