Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones.
– John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men, Chapter 1. The description of the green river and the yellow sands presents a peaceful image, broken only by the entrance of George and Lennie. We are introduced to the land before the men, with the focus on the rabbits when the main characters first arrive.