...In Bret Harte’s “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” the characters act in a way that make them morally ambiguous. During late November of 1850, in the town of Poker Flat, California, a vigilante committee round up some "undesirables" and banish them from their town. The "undesirables" are John Oakhurst, a gambler; Uncle Billy, a thief; and two women—Duchess, a prostitute, and Mother Shipton. The character's behavior discourage readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good. “Bret’s energies are devoted to manipulating his characters for effect, not to realizing them as human beings.”The Outcasts are essentially civilized beings under the wild and wooly costumes, morally abiding citizens hidden by the exotic customs and outlandish behavior....
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...In Bret Harte’s ‘The Outcasts of Poker Flat,’ the author introduces a man named John Oakhurst. Oakhurst is a man who gambles in the towns he visits, which in this era is common, but abhorred by those townspeople trying to create a traditional society more like the East. Harte explains how Oakhurst is a man of fate. Oakhurst believes that “it is what it is,” however, Oakhurst does tend to assess his options in any situation searching for any way to overcome obstacles. Readers learn about how Oakhurst is a “...quiet person, ...an introvert, [a man] who he keeps to himself…” and only speaks when necessary. By keeping to himself and gambling on his own accord, Oakhurst is labeled as the Individual archetype. Individualism is a pursuit of self, and not being part of a collective effort. When a person is individualistic they do what is best for themselves. Oakhurst appears individualistic because he travels alone, gambles for his own money, and does not try to be friendly with people. Oakhurst is a man who keeps to himself, introverted. He does not share his thoughts or feeling with others. Oakhurst is quite the gambler. In the towns where he goes he gambles with anyone and wins. Some people do not like gambling with him because he always wins. He is creating...
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...CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA An Interpretive History TENTH EDITION James J. Rawls Instructor of History Diablo Valley College Walton Bean Late Professor of History University of California, Berkeley TM TM CALIFORNIA: AN INTERPRETIVE HISTORY, TENTH EDITION Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions © 2008, 2003, and 1998. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1234567890 QFR/QFR 10987654321 ISBN: 978-0-07-340696-1 MHID: 0-07-340696-1 Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Michael Ryan Vice President EDP/Central Publishing Services: Kimberly Meriwether David Publisher: Christopher Freitag Sponsoring Editor: Matthew Busbridge Executive Marketing Manager: Pamela S. Cooper Editorial Coordinator: Nikki Weissman Project Manager: Erin Melloy Design Coordinator: Margarite Reynolds Cover Designer: Carole Lawson Cover Image: Albert Bierstadt, American (born...
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