Originally titled “The Fool”, Steinbeck’s “The Harness” appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in June 1938 before being included in the collection entitled The Long Valley in September of the same year. The protagonist of the story, Peter Randall, is depicted by Steinbeck as one of the most admirable men in the Salinas valley, an individual who seems wise in business and personal judgment and whose strong character is reflected in his upright and unbending physical posture. His neighbors often follow Randall’s personal decision making, mirroring his actions because they consider it as a good, safe conservative thing to do.
Peter and his wife Emma are childless, but the pristine condition of their homestead and their rigid marital “bliss” are flawed by Emma’s constant ill health. Despite her illness, however, Emma rules the household with almost...
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Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "“The Harness”". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 December 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=25830, accessed 09 June 2026.]
