[The protagonist of Salt of the Earth] embodies a modern epic of the Unknown Soldier, told in an idiom full of simplicity and humour and showing a profound and infallible sense of the human predicament. Impressive pictures, which sink deep into the mind, build up the dramatic story of the hero…. This 'patient foot-soldier' is not only an apotheosis of the man-in-the-street figure so beloved of interwar literature, but also deep and moving study of the human psyche, a record of the time, and a piece of art of timeless significance. (pp. 57-8)