What Is the Main Message of the Outcasts of Poker Flat?

The Outcasts of Poker Flat is a short story by American author Bret Harte. The story was first published in the January 1869 issue of Overland Monthly and was later included in a collection of Harte’s stories called The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Stories.

The story is set in the 1850s in the fictional town of Poker Flat, California. The town is undergoing a moral purge, and a group of “outcasts” are forced to leave.

The outcasts include a gambler, a prostitute, and a drunkard. They are accompanied by a young boy who has been orphaned.

PRO TIP:The main message of “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” is that compassion and mercy can be found in even the most unlikely places. The story shows how the people of Poker Flat come together to show kindness and empathy towards those they have previously alienated. Ultimately, it teaches us that even in the darkest moments, hope and understanding can still be found.

The group is forced to camp in the wilderness, and they are soon joined by another outcast, a woman who has been exiled from her home for having an affair. The woman is pregnant, and she gives birth to a baby boy.

The outcasts are eventually discovered by a search party from Poker Flat. The Gambler is killed, and the others are taken back to town.

The young boy is adopted by one of the townsfolk, and the woman with the baby is taken in by another family.

The story concludes with a discussion of the main message: that even outcasts can redeem themselves if given the chance.