Bret Harte's story of "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" Is a study in moral contrast, faced with calamity. The characters react indifferent and unpredictable. Theirs John Oakhurst who is a gambling man, uncle Billy who is a slues robber, the duchess tow sisters who sell their body's, and last but not least theirs Mother Shipton a proper English woman.
I rank the duchess number one, because their the two who start the whole conflict in the story. The duchesses are kicked out of Poker Flat for being prostitutes and are exiled to another part of the back country. So in the story the sherrif escorts them to and the others to the end of town where they start their journey.
My # 2 is John Oakhurst. He plays a big role in the story where he is in love with one of the duchess and he leads the pack of outcasts through the back country. He is in trouble for being a gambling man and not always picking the right bets. He is also probably one of the strongest men on the journey.
My # 3 is Uncle Billy. He is one of the guys you just can't trust because he can stab you in the back. He is exiled for being a slues robber and stealing gold from minors. He doesn't play too much of a role in this story.
Then the last character in the story, my number five is Mother Shipton. Exiled from Poker Flat for suspicion of witchcraft and casting spells. She is the oldest one on the journey and one of the weakest but toughs it out when times are bad.
The story "Outcasts of Poker Flat" shows how a bunch of outcasts of very different natures can pull together during a tough time without the steeling, prostitution, gambling or witchcraft. This story brought out their true inter being without all the bad stuff that they were accused of back in town.
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