Poker Flat

Many people will agree that everyone strives to be the very best that they can be physically, mentally, or even emotionally. This is due to society trying to have a perfect image of everyone and them living a perfect life in harmony and peace. This is like the older saying of “Living in a perfect world” is not all that it seems, it is not all sunshine and rainbow in everyone but some that is the best part of their personality and it can change over time in someone either for the greater good or just in a situation. This is shown tremendously in the short story The Outcasts of Poker Flat, written by one of the most famous local color writers, Bret Harte. This story was written in a time period of 1850’s where the great migration west was in
It all starts with Mr. Oakhurst, a gambler, who is in search of what all gambler for looking for, money thy win from the town. Although a gambler seem like the last person to change his personality, because they all just come for one reason and that is for gambling and winning money. This is what he did in the small town of Poker Flat, but a little too well. Mr. Oakhurst ends up cleaning the town of their money and they don’t appreciate that at all and want to hang Mr. Oakhurst and take their money back. Although this what someone suggested they decided to just banish him from the town with a group of characters that are vital to this story. For instance Uncle Billy who was explained as “considered a sluice-robber and confirmed drunkard” (Harte 3). He is basically the conflict that occurs in this story later on. Also joining Mr. Oakhurst on his banishment is two prostitutes named Mother Shipton and The Duchess. Mother Shipton is another character that shows great inner goodness when in a time of need. All four of these characters are exiled form the town of Poker Flat and they head toward the next town which is Sandy Bar. This journey from Poker Flat to Sandy Flat is not an easy on said one of the others gamblers in the town of Poker Flat he stated “The road to Sandy Bar--a camp that, not having as yet experienced the regenerating influences of Poker Flat,
The following morning Mr. Oakhurst wakes up to a white blanket covering the ground Bret Harte describes the conditions as “It came slowly in a whirling mist of snowflakes that dazzled and confused the eye. What could be seen of the landscape appeared magically changed. He looked over the valley, and summed up the present and future in two words—‘snowed in!’” (Harte 4). This was strong imagery used because it resembles the conflict that is trapping the outcasts in the cabin delaying their journey and even more than it already was. To add on to the conflict was when Mr. Oakhurst looked over to Uncle Billy and saw “But turning to where Uncle Billy had been lying, he found him gone. A suspicion leaped to his brain and a curse to his lips. He ran to the spot where the mules had been tethered; they were no longer there. The tracks were already rapidly disappearing in the snow.” (Harte 4). This was the main conflict that occurred and it impacted all the characters and it showed more of Mr. Oakhurst inner goodness and leadership that even though he knew that Uncle Billy left and most likely would not be coming back he did not alarm the others because in this kind of a situation it is not a good idea to have others running around and panicking. This is another true example of Mr. Oakhurst showing his inner goodness and his leadership making him the