What is the main idea of the Outcasts of Poker Flat?
Immorality. In Bret Harte’s “The Outcasts of Poker Flat,” a committee of citizens from a struggling mining town in Gold Rush-era California banishes a group of undesirable residents: John Oakhurst (a gambler), Mother Shipton and the Duchess (prostitutes), and Uncle Billy (a drunk).
What type of conflict is The Outcasts of Poker Flat?
The main conflict of the story is one of man versus nature, as the exiles struggle to survive the obstacles that lay before them….. weather, starvation, and fate.
What is the purpose of the description of the campsite in the Outcasts of Poker Flat?
The description of the campsite is given to… help the reader visualize the region. How do the four outcasts feel about one another right after they are driven out of Poker Flat?
How is the Outcasts of Poker Flat naturalism?
Naturalism is represented in this story by the real life like situations of certain characters. For example; John Oakhurst was a gambler who would destroy all opponents at a game of cards. He would also win their money and for that reason alone he was not liked.
What is the climax of the Outcasts of Poker Flat?
The climax of “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” occurs when John Oakhurst fails to return to the cabin after seeing off Tom Simson on the latter’s snowshoe trek back to Poker Flat. It is at this point that the Duchess and Piney accept the imminence of death.
Who is the antagonist of the Outcasts of Poker Flat?
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.
Why are the four outcasts exiled from Poker Flat?
In an effort to save what is left of the town and reestablish it as a “virtuous” place, a secret society is created to decide whom to exile and whom to kill. On November 23 of 1850, four “immoral” individuals are exiled from Poker Flat and warned not to return on pain of death.
What happens on the outcasts first day together?
What happens on the outcasts’ first day together? They head toward Sandy Bar but stop because Duchess can’t go any farther. They meet Tom and Piney (coming from Sandy Bar). Tom points at a cabin where the women sleep for the first night.