pictures of the characters from poker flat

The four soon bow to the Duchess’s insistence she can go no farther. Oakhurst, whose stoicism contrasts sharply with the invectives of the other three, assumes the role of unselfish leader. The four head toward Sandy Bar, a nearby camp. In a sudden move to eliminate unsavory residents, Poker Flat has hanged two and determined to evict four others-Oakhurst, Mother Shipton, the Duchess, and Uncle Billy. The story begins with John Oakhurst, a professional gambler, sensing a shift in the moral weather of Poker Flat, a shift that foreshadows the literal weather change that dooms the characters. Even today, movies and books incorporate his Wild West character types-the stoic gambler, the soft-hearted prostitute, the unthinking drunk, and the vigilante committee driven by personal interests and blinded by the passion of a moment. Bret Harte’s story both romanticized and stereotyped the gold mining camps, creating an enduring view of the West.

Analysis of Bret Harte’s The Outcasts of Poker Flatįirst published in the Overland Monthly in 1869, “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” closely paralleled its companion story, “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” published in 1868, by introducing Americans in the eastern United States to the rough, violent, ungoverned West.

Pictures of the characters from poker flat