• To read and analyze a short story
about four outcasts who must battle
the elements to survive 
• To identify and describe character
types in a short story 
• To describe and analyze the author’s
use of local color
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the information.
Bret Harte was born
in 1836 and died in
1902.
Click the Speaker button to hear
more about Bret Harte.
BACKGROUND
The Time and Place
After James Marshall discovered gold in California in 1848,
mining towns sprang up almost overnight and small towns
rapidly grew into cities. As fortunes were made and lost, a
new way of life was established. The colorful incidents of
western life and the vivid anecdotes of old-timers fired the
imagination of Bret Harte, who used this material for his
stories. 
A Closer Look at Language
Bret Harte was the first writer of the local color trend in
American literature–a trend that was popular until the turn
of the century. One technique Harte used to convey the
local color of the West was to incorporate the vernacular,
or local speech, into his dialogue. This technique creates
vivid, realistic dialogue that typifies the time and place of
the story.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the information.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
impropriety: (n) the quality of being improper;
improper behavior; p. 477 
expatriated: (adj) banished; exiled; p. 477 
malevolence: (n) a disposition to wish harm to
others; ill will; p. 478 
equanimity: (n) evenness of temper; calmness;
p. 479 
jocular: (adj) humorous; p. 480 
hypothesis: (n) an unproved explanation or
assumption; p. 480 
seclusion: (n) separation from others; isolation;
p. 481 
querulous: (adj) complaining; whining; p. 483
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the information.
FOCUS ACTIVITY
Have you ever seen reruns of popular television
Westerns such as Bonanza or Gunsmoke? What
are your favorite films about the Old West? 
Discuss
In a small group, discuss some of the standard,
or stereotypical, characters that appear in films
or television series about the Old West. What
makes these characters interesting or
appealing? 
Setting a Purpose
Read to encounter a colorful cast of characters
from the Old West.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the information.
A Active Reading
Predict
Look at the story title and the picture on
page 476 of your textbook.
What will the story be about?
Possible answer: The picture and title are
ominous. The story will be about people
who are isolated from society.
Navigation Toolbar
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
B Literary Elements
Mood
Does the description of the setting in the
opening paragraph establish a particular
mood in the story?
Phrases like “Sabbath lull” that “looked
ominous” create suspense by suggesting
that something bad is about to occur.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
C Critical Thinking
Inferring
What can be inferred about Mr.
Oakhurst’s character based on his
reaction to the fact that the men are
probably “after” him?
Mr. Oakhurst’s reaction indicates that he
is a calm, rational man who does not
become frightened easily.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
D Active Reading
Question
What does the narrator say about the people
of Poker Flat in his claim that they judge
only by “easily established standards of
evil”?
He implies that the people of Poker Flat are
not inclined–or are not philosophically
sophisticated enough–to look past labels or
professions to see whether people are good
or bad.
As you read, decide whether you should judge the
outcasts based on the sentiments of the secret
committee.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
E Author’s Craft
Descriptive Language
Note that, befitting Oakhurst’s profession as a
gambler, Harte uses gambling terms to
describe his approach to life.
F Critical Thinking
Drawing Conclusions
What can you conclude about the
Duchess, Mother Shipton, Mr.
Oakhurst, and Uncle Billy based on
each character’s actions as they leave
Poker Flat?
The Duchess is fearful and proud; Mother
Shipton is mean and callous; Uncle Billy
is crude; and Mr. Oakhurst is calm and
generous.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
G Literary Elements
Theme
Naturalists believe that nature is a powerful,
indifferent force in people’s lives. The “cold,”
“wild” images of the mountain pass indicate
that nature will be a similar force in the lives of
the outcasts.
H Author’s Craft
Foreshadowing
Oakhurst is hesitant to stop at the wooded
amphitheatre.
How does the author use Oakhurst’s
reluctance to foreshadow events to
come?
Oakhurst’s thoughts warn the reader that
danger lies ahead. Oakhurst knows that
they do not have enough provisions to
stop, yet they stop anyway.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
I Active Reading
Evaluate
Evaluate the town’s decision to oust Mr.
Oakhurst.
Based on what you have read so far, do
you think this was a fair decision?
Possible answer: Oakhurst’s actions
seem to provide no cause for his
expulsion. Perhaps the committee
members are motivated by their gambling
losses.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
J Literary Elements
Character
Think about the change in the Duchess’s
demeanor after Piney Woods arrives. The
mood among all the outcasts has changed
since the arrival of Piney and Tom.
K Author’s Craft
Setting
Note the language Harte uses to describe the
setting in which the party has encamped. He
says the wind “moaned through [the pine
trees’] long and gloomy aisles.” The language
helps set the bleak tone and highlights the
devastating effects of nature on the outcasts.
L Active Reading
Question
Why does Mr. Oakhurst decide not to
awaken the others when he realizes what
Uncle Billy has done?
Once he discovers that Uncle Billy has
stolen the animals, he realizes that there
is no point in awakening and alarming the
others.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
M Literary Elements
Setting
How does the mood of the outcasts
contrast with the setting during the
storm?
The jovial mood of the outcasts is
juxtaposed with the violent images of the
storm.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
N Active Reading
Visualize
Visualize the storm abating at midnight, as the
clouds part and the stars glitter. Compare this
calm image to the tumultuous images of the
storm in the preceding passage.
O Literary Elements
Theme
Think about how Oakhurst’s sentiments about
life reflect the Naturalists’ belief that people
are helpless against fate (which Oakhurst,
using a gambler’s language, refers to as
“luck”).
P Literary Elements
Personification
Personification is a literary term for the technique of
endowing animals or inanimate objects with human
characteristics.
How does Harte personify the sun on the
third day?
He first describes it as “looking through” the
valley at the outcasts and then endows the sun
with a human emotion, referring to its “regretful
commiseration.”
Personification is particularly effective here because
one of the major conflicts in the story is nature versus
people.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
Q Author’s Craft
Foreshadowing
How does Harte use foreshadowing
when he describes Mother Shipton
cussing at Poker Flat?
He calls her cussing a “final malediction.”
This curse is Mother Shipton’s last mean
act before her death.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
R Active Reading
Question
Why might the outcasts seem so content
after a week in the cabin despite being
trapped by the snow?
The outcasts may enjoy each other’s
company; they may not be willing to face
the severity of their situation.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
S Critical Thinking
Evaluating
The narrator’s statement on page 483 that
Mother Shipton was “once the strongest of the
party” suggests that this is no longer true. As
you read the rest of the paragraph, consider
whether or not you agree.
T Literary Elements
Character
How does Mother Shipton’s decision to
sacrifice her food indicate a change in
her character?
Her ultimate sacrifice indicates that she is
no longer as selfish or as uncaring as she
once appeared.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
U Literary Elements
Setting
Note the descriptions of the setting after the
storm abates–“the wind lulled,” the snow “flew
like white winged birds,” and “the spotless
mantle mercifully flung.”
What do these descriptions reveal about
the conflict between nature and the
outcasts?
Nature is now calm and peaceful because
it has been victorious.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
V Literary Elements
Symbolism
At the end of the story, Harte presents an
image of the women, frozen, with peaceful
expressions on their faces.
What might this symbolize?
In death they are innocent. The people
who discovered them “could scarcely
have told … which was she that had
sinned.”
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
Personal Response
Analyzing Literature
Literary Elements
Literature and Writing
Skill Minilessons
Click a hyperlink to go to the
corresponding content area.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Did the ending of the story surprise
you? Why or why not?
RECALL
What has the secret committee of Poker Flat
decided to do? Why? How is this decision
carried out?
The committee banishes all “improper persons”
because the town has suffered losses. The
outcasts are marched to the outskirts of town and
told not to return.
Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.
INTERPRET
What is the narrator’s tone, or attitude, toward
Poker Flat’s secret committee and its “improper
persons”? What words convey that tone?
His tone is bitter: he emphasizes their hypocrisy
by their “spasm of virtuous reaction,” unfamiliarity
with “Sabbath influences,” and “lawless and
ungovernable action.”
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
RECALL
Summarize what happens on the outcasts’ first
day together.
They head toward Sandy Bar, but stop when the
Duchess declares she can go no farther. They
make camp and are joined by Tom Simson and his
fiancée, who are coming from Sandy Bar. Tom
points out an old cabin, where the women sleep
the first night.
Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.
INTERPRET
What can you infer about Mr. Oakhurst’s
character, based on the way he treats Tom and
Piney?
He is honorable because he tries to stop them
from delaying their trip and endangering their
lives.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
RECALL
What happens on the second day in camp?
Uncle Billy has stolen the animals; the outcasts
are snowed in; they fix up the cabin and get
through the day by entertaining each other.
Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.
INTERPRET
What do you learn about the characters, based
on the way each one behaves on the second
day in camp?
Oakhurst is protective; he doesn’t tell Simson and
Piney about Uncle Billy. Tom is naive and
generous; he offers the cabin to the outcasts.
Piney is naive and good natured.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
RECALL
What happens to Mother Shipton? Why?
What actions does Mr. Oakhurst take in the
last part of the story?
Mother Shipton dies of starvation, having saved
her food for Piney. Oakhurst kisses the
Duchess, leaves, and shoots himself.
Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.
INTERPRET
What do you think the narrator means when
he says that Oakhurst is “at once the
strongest and yet the weakest of the
outcasts”?
He is strong because he assumes leadership and
because he remains calm and rational. He is
weak because he kills himself.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
RECALL
When the people from Poker Flat arrive at
the camp, what do they find?
They find Piney and the Duchess dead in the
cabin and Oakhurst dead under a tree.
Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.
INTERPRET
In your opinion, what message, or lesson,
does this story convey? Support your
ideas, using details from the selection.
Possible answer: Hard times bring out the
best in people. (Mother Shipton sacrifices
herself, Oakhurst behaves selflessly, and the
Duchess finds peace.)
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
EVALUATE AND CONNECT
Which story character or characters do
you admire the most? the least? Give
reasons for your answers.
EVALUATE AND CONNECT
How does the author use foreshadowing
to help prepare the reader for future
events? Give specific examples.
The ominous tone of the first paragraph
foreshadows future events. The party is
not equipped for delay, foreshadowing
their difficulties.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
EVALUATE AND CONNECT
Do you think the secret committee of
Poker Flat is justified in acting as it
does? Why or why not?
Possible answer: The committee is
hypocritical. They oust Oakhurst, though
many of them also gambled.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
EVALUATE AND CONNECT
Which story characters resemble the
stereotypical characters you’ve seen in
films or television series about the Old
West? Explain.
Possible answer: The Duchess is the call
girl, Oakhurst the hero, Uncle Billy the
cheating drunk, and Piney Woods the
ingenue (innocent or unsophisticated girl).
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
EVALUATE AND CONNECT
Do you believe that people are
sometimes capable of acting in a
completely unselfish way–even
sacrificing themselves for the good of
others? Explain.
LITERARY ELEMENTS
• A character is a person in a literary work. 
• Some characters are flat–that is, they reveal
or represent a single personality trait.
Stereotypes, or stock characters, such as the
noble hero or the innocent young lover, are
usually flat characters. 
• A round character, on the other hand, shows
varied and sometimes contradictory traits–
just as real people do. 
• A static character remains mostly the same
throughout a story; a dynamic character
grows and changes.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the information.
LITERARY ELEMENTS
What flat characters does Harte create
in this story? What personality trait
does each character reveal or
represent?
Uncle Billy represents selfishness and
cowardice; Tom represents naivete; Piney
represents innocence.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
LITERARY ELEMENTS
Who are the round characters in this
story? What varied and contradictory
traits does each one exhibit?
Mr. Oakhurst is both strong and weak;
Mother Shipton is both mean and
generous; the Duchess is both worldly
and childlike.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
LITERARY ELEMENTS
Who are the static characters? Who
are the dynamic characters? Explain
your choices.
Uncle Billy, Tom, and Piney are static;
Mother Shipton, the Duchess, and
Oakhurst are dynamic.
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answer.
Analyzing Local Color
When writers evoke a particular region by recreating the language, customs, and
geography of the area, they use a technique
called local color.
In a few paragraphs, analyze how Harte uses
local color in “The Outcasts of Poker Flat.”
Explain how local color adds to your
understanding of the story.
Practice: Use a dictionary to find the etymology, or
history, of each of the following words from “The Outcasts
of Poker Flat.”
1. gulch: perhaps from an English dialect gulch to
gulp; from the Middle English gulchen
2. bellicose: from the Middle English, from the
Latin billicosus, from bellicus, of war,
from bellum war
3. castanet: from the Spanish, from castaña
meaning chestnut, from the Latin
castanea, from the Greek kastanea
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answers.
Practice: Use a dictionary to find the etymology, or
history, of each of the following words from “The Outcasts
of Poker Flat.”
4. pastoral: from the Middle English, from the Latin
pastoralis, from pastor herdsman
5. pariah: from the Tamil (Indian), paraiyan
drummer
6. impropriety: from the French, impropriété, or
Latin, improprietat
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answers.
Practice: Use a dictionary to find the etymology, or
history, of each of the following words from “The Outcasts
of Poker Flat.”
7. malevolent: from Latin, malevolent–from male,
badly, and velle, to wish
8. equanimity: from the Latin, aequanimitas or
French aequo animo, with even mind
9. jocular: from Latin, jocularis
10. hypothesis: from Greek, hypotithenai
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answers.
active
passive
passive






sweet, innocent, naive
smooth, forceful, weak,
thoughtful, capable of
leadership
rough, prone to emotional
outbursts, uses foul language,
mean, yet shows a flicker of
altruism at the end