The Outcasts of Poker Flat. Harte, Francis Bret. The Luck of Roaring Camp, The Outcasts of Poker Flat & The Idyl of Red Gulch. Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction. The Outcasts of Poker Flat Questions and Answers The Question and Answer sections of our study guides are a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss. The Outcasts of Poker Flat Homework Help Questions. In 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat,' how do John Oakhurst, Mother Shipton, and the Duchess redeem.
The story is located in Poker Flat, a small Californian community. Certain inhabitants of Poker Flat feel that the community is going down the hill. They have lost a lot of money and the morals of people are thought to be sinking. Consequently a secret committee is elected. This committee decides who will be killed and who expatriated. On November 23, 1850 four people are exiled. The party consists of Duchess, a saloon girl; Mother Shipton, a madam; Uncle Billy, a local drunk and thief; and John Oakhurst, a poker player, who won a lot of money from the people sitting on the secret committee. The four characters get together and leave Poker Flat, heading for a one day’s journey to a nearby camp. After hours of traveling, Oakhurst’s companions get tired, and despite his remonstrances they decide to stop and rest.
The Outcasts Of Poker Flat
Meanwhile, Oakhurst encounters young runaway couple, Piney Woods and Tom Simons, heading to Poker Flat to get married. Tom Simons, also called “The Innocent” has met Oakhurst before. They played Poker together, and Oakhurst won a great deal of money from him. Afterwards, he told Tom never to play poker again, and returned him his money. As a result of this Tom feels positively towards Oakhurst. He is thrilled to see him, and the young couple decides to spent some time with the group, obviously unaware of the fact that they were exiled for being immoral. Tom leads the group to an old cabin that he had found, and they spend the night. Oakhurst wakes up in the early morning and notices it started to snow. Furthermore, he discovers that Uncle Billy has been up long before him and now is gone with all their horses and mules. The rest of the group has no other choice than to wait for ten days until they run out of provisions. As the days go by, Mother Shipton dies of starvation, as she tries to save food for ‘the child’ - Piney. Oakhurst decides that Tom has to go to get some help and he fixes him some snow shoes. Then he tells the two women he will accompany Tom ‘as far as the canyon’. Duchess and Piney stay in the cabin and when their fire dies they fall asleep hugging each other. They look so peaceful and innocent, that when the “law of Poker Flat” finds them, they are unable to tell which one is the sinner, so they turn away and let them be. As for the last, Oakhurst commits suicide.
As Mr. John Oakhurst, gambler, stepped into the main street of PokerFlat on the morning of the 23d of November, 1850, he was conscious ofa change in its moral atmosphere since the preceding night. Two orthree men, conversing earnestly together, ceased as he approached, andexchanged significant glances. There was a Sabbath lull in the air,which, in a settlement unused to Sabbath influences, looked ominous.
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Mr. Oakhurst's calm, handsome face betrayed small concern in theseindications. Whether he was conscious of any predisposing cause wasanother question. 'I reckon they're after somebody,' he reflected;'likely it's me.' He returned to his pocket the handkerchief withwhich he had been whipping away the red dust of Poker Flat from hisneat boots, and quietly discharged his mind of any further conjecture.
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In point of fact, Poker Flat was 'after somebody.' It had latelysuffered the loss of several thousand dollars, two valuable horses,and a prominent citizen. It was experiencing a spasm of virtuousreaction, quite as lawless and ungovernable as any of the acts thathad provoked it. A secret committee had determined to rid the town ofall improper persons. This was done permanently in regard of two menwho were then hanging from the boughs of a sycamore in the gulch,and temporarily in the banishment of certain other objectionablecharacters. I regret to say that some of these were ladies. It isbut due to the sex, however, to state that their impropriety wasprofessional, and it was only in such easily established standards ofevil that Poker Flat ventured to sit in judgment.