The Outcast of Poker Flat

In The Outcast of Poker Flat, Bret Harte chooses to see the good in all people. While Bret Harte is a realist writer, he comes out in this writing as a romantic. Unlike the dark romantics like Poe, Harte demonstrates that bad people can have a good moral side to them. The main character in this piece is John Oakhurst. He is accompanied by Uncle Billy, the Duchess, and Mother Shipton. They have been exiled. Oakhurst was a gambler by trade. The town of Poker Flat decides to purge itself of undesirables. All these characters are evil in their own way. Gambling which can be percieved as a type of stealing, actual stealing (Uncle Billy), and prostitution (the Duchess and Mother Shipton). Along the way they meet Tom Simson and Piney Woods. They are an innocent couple that end up traveling with the rough group on their journey. As the story goes on it provides the undesirables opportunities to do good. Uncle Billy reverts to his old habits and steals supplies and the horses. I believe that Harte uses Uncle Billy's character to say that there are some people that can't change regardless of their circumstances. This one character presents the reader with a realistic view of society. It shines a negative outlook on criminals that the majority of society would agree with. The rest of the group, however, redeems itself through good deeds. These characters create a romatic approach in the story. In their travels they get stuck by a storm an seek shelter in a roofless cabin. Mother Shipton is already near death and realizes it. She rations her food and sacrifices her own life to prolong that of others. The Duchess shows affection and comforts Piney Woods. Oakhurst is presented with a difficult delima. He has the option of saving his own life by pressing on through the storm. Instead he remains with the group and tries to help them in their passage. He creates snow shoes that he gives to Tom Simson so he can survive the storm. This sacrifice puts a postive light on the fact that their is good in all people. Yet Oakhurst is still haunted by his past and the struck of bad luck he has come upon. He commits suicide. I believe that Harte is trying to tell the reader that regardless of the good things we do in life they can't outweigh the bad. Even though we try to rectify our wrongs, we will dwell on our past experiences.