Radhika Gupta
A0403421179
MACLP-4C
Humanistic Assignment
Q. The short story 'The outcasts of poker flat' by Bret Harte is recognized as one of the most
important stories describing humanism. Choose any one of the characters and write the
psychological characteristics of that character in 800-1000 typed words.
John Oakhurst is one of the brightest characters depicted in “The Outcast of Poker Flat”. The novel
is about four protagonists who were exiled by the townspeople because of their immoral behavior
and habits. Having been declared the refuse of the society, John, the drunkard Uncle Billy, and
two prostitutes were forced to search for a better life. I was attracted by the description of Mr.
Oakhurst, a gambler whose life was like a game, on the one hand, and a person who was able to
overcome difficulties and accomplish courageous deeds, on the other hand.
John Oakhurst was always in control of his own life so that he never believed in fate. His calmness
and courage made me reconsider his actual moral values. The story justifies that he was rather a
brave person who was not afraid to face the reality of being too much of a gambler to accept it.
John considered his life like a game that divided people into leaders and losers. This is proved by
many details described in the story. Thus, he revealed his audacity when he together with the
travelers was trapped in the show storm. Being in a critical situation, he was the first who tried to
calm down and cheer up the others. If to consider this character more properly, I could not but
accept that John can be also regarded as the embodiment of nobility and modesty. These
phenomenal traits were revealed in many situations that he successfully overcame. His sympathy
with Mother Shipton and other outcasts was the brightest testimony of his goodness. Hence,
irrespective of the townspeople’s prejudiced outlook about morality, he might be regarded as an
ideal image of the actual leader who was always in control of the situation.
To add to his noble features, Mr. Oakhurst did not drink, since the presence of mind and his
impassionate character did not afford him to do that. His moderate character is not typical of a
gambler who got accustomed to risky situations. That is why, I feel that John Oakhurst was a
complex person who, like all people, had both the very vices and cardinal virtues. In addition, he
was reluctant in showing his sentiments in public, which, I believe, is the quality of a real
gentleman but not of a card shark.
Further, John may be also regarded as a person of strong character. Being a gambler, he has a wild
card character since he was empowered to control his own destiny and the destinies of others.
Thus, his decision to save Penny was a kind of a calling of his fate. The strength of his character
did not allow him to reveal his feelings otherwise, it would mean a disaster for him. Therefore, he
committed suicide since he had no other way out. To show his weakness and his inability to
monitor his life was unacceptable. At first sight, the death might also constitute his incapability to
show that there were events that were beyond his power. However, I feel that he died because of
pride and of unwillingness to recognize that he “struck a streak of bad luck”. Therefore, on the one
hand, Mr. Oakhurst may be considered as the strongest and weakest character at the same time.
The story ends with a symbolic phrase that characterized his major human qualities:
He was the strongest one because he decided to sacrifice himself for the sake of others and the
weakest one since he shot himself instead of waiting for other arrivals to come. The story, in which
John was doomed to be the refusal of the society, testifies that the townspeople lost a veritable
notion about cardinal virtues and formed their attitudes relying on their first impressions. In this
respect, the author intends to prove to their readers that appearances are deceptive. Considering
Oakhurst and another outcast the “improper persons” proves that their morality left much to be
desired. So, John was the only one who was aware of the change of the moral atmosphere in Poker
flat. I believe that his death was a kind of protest its narrow local prejudice. Moreover, the fact of
escape differentiated the travelers from the ordinary and primitive townspeople who were
subjected to predictability and stereotypes.
Based on the above, I can judge, that Mr. Oakhurst could be regarded as the picture of morality
rather than the refuge of the society. The story shows the opposite and breaks the outlooks set by
the townspeople whose narrowness defined their attitude toward others who did not conform to
their norms. The travelers described as exiles were the ones who managed to cognate the real
human morale and John was the person who initiated the changes and who was keen on revealing
the actual norms of morality.