Bret Harte uses the world of Poker Flat to show hypocrisy in the world. The townspeople of Poker Flat are hypocrites trying to enforce laws against things that they are doing. They exile four people, John Oakhurst for gambling,Uncle Billy for being a “suspected robber and confirmed drunkard”(Harte, pg. 1), the “Duchess”, and Mother Shipton. They gain two more, the Innocent, otherwise known as Tom Simson, and Piney, Tom Simson's lover, in the wilderness. The six people are on their own trying to find their own society, but they get stranded in a blizzard instead. They had been heading to a place called Sandy Bar. They never make it in the end, though. This entire short story is, more or less, about Oakhurst because he is projecting strength, …show more content…
Then they gain two more, but lose one after he stole most of their provisions. Once Uncle Billy left and “after a careful inventory of the provisions… disclosed the fact that with care and prudence they might last ten days longer” (Harte, pg. 4). The five of them are dying because one man could not stop doing what he was exiled for. The whole time, Oakhurst knew what Uncle Billy was planning and after he deserted them, Oakhurst tries to cover it by saying “wait till Uncle Billy gets back with provisions” (Harte, pg. 4). After Uncle Billy left, “looking through the white-curtained valley, saw the outcasts divide their slowly decreasing store of provisions” (Harte, pg. 4). Since they are stuck in a blizzard and their provisions are slowly decreasing. After a while everyone realizes that they are dying and The Duchess had been starving herself so she could give her rations to Piney, telling Oakhurst to “give’em to the child” (Harte, pg. 6). The Innocent and Oakhurst decide to go get more rations at Poker Flat, but only The Innocent can go all the way to Poker Flat. Oakhurst accompanies him only “as far as the canyon” (Harte, pg. 6). After a few more days, “they slept all that day and the next, nor did they waken when voices and footsteps broke the silence of the camp” (Harte, pg. 7). The last sentence of this short story is talking about Oakhurst, saying “and pulseless and cold, with a Derringer by his side and a bullet in his heart, though still calm as in life, beneath the snow lay he who was at once the strongest and yet the weakest of the outcasts of Poker Flat” (Harte, pg.