Theme Of Outcast Of Poker Flats
In Bret Harte’s, “Outcast of Poker Flats” there are four major themes the author explores.
Fate is a condition which the characters have little control. The outcasts are subject to various forms of unlucky fate that no one could have expected. For example, the unexpected blizzard that hits them just after they begin their voyage, which leads to their deaths. Heroism is another theme, seen best in the character of John Oakhurst. A soft-hearted gambler, he shows heroic qualities throughout the outcasts' ordeal. However, ironically he takes the coward's way out by killing himself. The theme of appearance vs. reality is seen mostly in the Duchess and Mother Shipton. A pair of prostitutes, they are transformed into almost angelic characters
Fate is a condition which the characters have little control. The outcasts are subject to various forms of unlucky fate that no one could have expected. For example, the unexpected blizzard that hits them just after they begin their voyage, which leads to their deaths. Heroism is another theme, seen best in the character of John Oakhurst. A soft-hearted gambler, he shows heroic qualities throughout the outcasts' ordeal. However, ironically he takes the coward's way out by killing himself. The theme of appearance vs. reality is seen mostly in the Duchess and Mother Shipton. A pair of prostitutes, they are transformed into almost angelic characters