“The Outcasts of Poker Flat” shows local color by describing peoples occupations and the use of a southern type dialect .
What is the 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.
What is the setting in the Outcasts of Poker Flat?
Plot Summary. “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” is set near a California mining community during November of 1850 . Experimenting with the effectiveness of vigilante justice, the residents of Poker Flat hope to improve the town by expelling a group of undesirables.
Who is in the party escorted from Poker Flat What are the suspected crimes?
The ruling citizens of Poker Flat have decided that too many citizens have lost money at the hands (or other body parts) of the gambler Oakhurst, the Duchess and another “professional” woman, Mother Shipton, as well as a sluice robber and general thief called “Uncle Billy .” Therefore, these unsavory citizens are ...
Why is Poker Flat after Mr Oakhurst?
Mr. Oakhurst is banished from Poker Flat because he is a successful gambler , who has won significant amounts of money from the community members on more than one occasion. The Dutchess and Mother Shipton are promiscuous women, who are both exiled from Poker Flat because they are well-known prostitutes.
What happened to Uncle Billy in The Outcasts of Poker Flat?
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.
Who is the most admirable character 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.
Who died in Outcasts of Poker Flat?
Mother Shipton begins to fade rapidly, and on the 10th day, she pulls Oakhurst aside and privately tells him that she's been starving herself, saving her rations so that Piney can live a little longer. She dies quietly, and the group turns somber.
Is The Outcasts of Poker Flat realism or naturalism?
The theme deals with hidden goodness in people, which all of these charcters had. “The Outcast of Poker Flat” takes place in a Californian community known as “Poker Flat”. Four people are exiled to improve the frontier community. Naturalism is represented by the Exile of the Four people.
What can the reader assume will happen to the outcasts if they return to Poker Flat?
What can the reader assume will happen to the outcasts if they return to Poker Flat? The correct answer is A) The outcasts will be killed . ... Some people in Poker Flat feel that the community is going down the hill. They have lost a huge amount of money and the morals of people are thought to be sinking.
Why did the town suddenly decide to clean up Poker Flat?
Why did the citizens suddenly decide to clean up Poker Flat? Why did they banish Oakhurst instead of hanging him? It is part of Oakhurst's business, as a gambler, to be aware of what other people have on their minds, as in a poker game .
How are the locals of Poker Flat hypocritical?
Many of the citizens of Poker Flat are hypocritical because it is only after the townspeople have a change of luck and monetary status that they become moral . ... Not surprisingly, the knowledge that they have endangered the survival of the exiled company does not appear to bother the newly “moral” people of Poker Flat.
Why is Oakhurst described as the strongest and yet the weakest of the Outcasts of Poker Flat?
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.
What explanation does Oakhurst give his ability to go without sleep?
What explanation does Mr. Oakhurst give for his ability to go without sleep? Because of his gambler lifestyle he does not need to sleep.
How do Mr Oakhurst and Tom Simson the innocent know each other?
Oakhurst and Tom met across a gambling table . Mr. Oakhurst won $40 from Tom, which was the entire amount the young man owned.
What does Mr Oakhurst do for a living?
John Oakhurst was a gambler . He had lived in the small western town of Poker Flat for only a short time. He had defeated many people at cards. He had also won a lot of their money.
