The chief antagonist of the story, Uncle Billy is a drunk and a suspected thief (he is believed to steal gold while other people are panning for it) who is exiled from Poker Flat along with Oakhurst, the Duchess, and Mother Shipton.
Who is the most admirable person in the Outcasts of Poker Flat?
While all of the characters of Bret Harte’s “Outcasts of Poker Flat” easily engage the reader’s sympathy, with the exception of the treacherous Uncle Billy, it’s difficult not to feel that the heroic self-sacrifice of Mother Shipton makes her the most admirable of the group.
What is Uncle Billy laughing about?
Uncle Billy is about to laugh but remembers Oakhurst’s foot . ... At that moment, an idea pops into his alcoholic brain, causing him so much amusement that he shoves a fist into his mouth to stifle a laugh. ....... That night, the women sleep in the cabin and the men near the fire.
Is Uncle Billy a flat or round character?
Round Character . Uncle Billy: Suspected thief, alcoholic, abandons the others in the night while it was snowing, takes the mules.
What did Oakhurst not reveal to the others about Uncle Billy What lie did he make up?
Oakhurst could not bring himself to disclose Uncle Billy’s rascality, and so offered the hypothesis that he had wandered from the camp and had accidentally stampeded the animals . He dropped a warning to the Duchess and Mother Shipton, who of course knew the facts of their associate’s defection.
What happened Uncle Billy?
By morning, Uncle Billy is gone and the mules are nowhere to be found. The story never reveals what happened to Uncle Billy —whether he made it to the next town over or died in the pursuit—but he is nonetheless spared the long, agonizing death that the rest of the outcasts (plus Tom and Piney) are forced to endure.
Why did Oakhurst and Tom leave camp?
John Oakhurst, the Duchess, and Mother Shipton sympathize with Tom “The Innocent” and his young wife, Piney, and do not want to frighten them. The outcasts fear that revealing their identities and crimes will cause the newlyweds to panic and attempt to leave the camp immediately.
Why are the outcasts thrown out of Poker Flat?
The outcasts are thrown out of the town of Poker Flat because they are the undesirables of the town . Duchess, despite what her name implies, is not high class royalty in any way. She is the town prostitute; therefore, she is deemed a seedy character that should be expelled from the town.
What is the main message of the Outcasts of Poker Flat?
Bret Harte finalizes the confirmation his main message, which is that humanity runs deeper than external appearances and can’t be judged by lip-service and propriety , when Oakhurst selflessly offers himself as a sacrifice in the hope that the women might live.
Does Tom Simson make it to Poker Flat?
The story implies that Tom is successful in reaching Poker Flat —even though the rest of the group dies, they are found days when “voices and footsteps” enter the camp, presumably a search party.
Who is the hero in The Outcasts of Poker Flat?
The protagonist of the story, John Oakhurst is a serial gambler who is exiled from the Old West settlement of Poker Flat along with three other people whom the town has deemed “improper”: the Duchess, Mother Shipton, and Uncle Billy.
Who was kicked out of Poker Flat?
Jonathan Beutlich, M.A. The title, “The Outcasts of Poker Flat ,” is referencing the four characters who have been thrown out of the town of Poker Flat. Apparently the town of Poker Flat is a beacon of morality, because the town kicked out John Oakhurst, Mother Shipton, Duchess, and Uncle Billy .
What happened to the characters in The Outcasts of Poker Flat?
The short answer to your question is that most of them die . Uncle Billy runs off with the mules and supplies the first night, and Tom Simson walks back to Poker Flat for help on a pair of improvised snow shoes. Everyone else either starves to death or (in the case of Oakhurst) commits suicide.
What happened to Mr Oakhurst at the end of the story?
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 .
Why is Oakhurst the weakest and the strongest of the outcasts?
In what sense is the “the strongest and yet the weakest of the outcasts of Poker Flat”? Oakhurst- he is strong and generous and cares for others. He is weak in his moral code . ... Professional gambler who is forced out of the town of Poker Flat as an undesirable because he wins so much money from the townspeople.
Why does Mr Oakhurst try to push the group to continue toward Sandy Bar?
Mr. Oakhurst knows that if the group cannot get to Sandy Bar in a timely manner, they are ill-equipped to survive in the wilderness .
