Question

"the tenant men scuffed home to the farms through the red dust." Which sentence best describes Steinbeck's diction here?

Answer 1

The diction of Steinbeck here in apparently describing the dustbowl conditions of the Dirty Thirties is speaking of "tenant men" or presumably men who were tenant farmers perhaps who were allowed to live on the land in return for working it and that they "scuffed"  their way home indicates that the dust was so thick they had to scuff but also perhaps that since they could barely make a living under the poor agricultural conditions they did not walk confidently but scuffed.

Answer 2

He uses the word "scuffed" to show the frustration of the tenants