Human nature, as complicated and mysterious as it is, has been a subject of artists’ expression since the old days. However, frequently, the peculiarities of existence become rather modified in order to create a “wow” effect on the recipient. Driven by the idea that people’s life may be thrilling with no additional entourage, several writers of the 19th century started popularizing the art of describing real lives and emotions of people, paving the way to the introduction of regionalism. The outcasts of Poker Flat, a short yet sophisticated story written by Bret Harte, serves as a vivid example of regionalist literature. The complexity of human nature, as the story’s theme, draws readers’ attention to the ways in which a seemingly destructive personality may listen to its inner kindness and remain powerless in the face of nature.
The cruelty of human nature is a highly subjective phenomenon, as it may simply lose its power when faced with a simple act of kindness and compassion. For example, when speaking of Mr. Oakhurst, one may see how kindness finds its way within a man’s inner world, even at times when he is surrounded by greediness and vanity. Reflecting on the story of the man’s acquaintance with Tom Simson, symbolically known as The Innocent, the author states that “he then handed him his money back, pushed him gently from the room, and so made a devoted slave of Tom Simson” (Harte, 1982, p. 13). Thus, no matter how gripped by the idea of winning, Mr. Oakhurst does not lose his moral compass and empathy towards the ones who need guidance. Indeed, even the idea of making a boy his “devoted slave” reminds rather a need to keep up the appearances of a dispassionate gambler than a true intention. The coldness of heart Mr. Oakhurst used to manifest usually considered the men who knew no other desire but self-reassurance through other’s misfortune.
However, if it is rather hard to claim that human nature is never exclusively cruel, the fact of nature’s superiority over people’s lives is impossible to resist. In The outcasts, Bret Harte intentionally puts together people who represent entirely opposite aspects of human nature. On the one hand, there is a group of outcasts driven by the lust for self-destruction and deception, who may deserve being cursed by mother nature. However, right next to them, there are two people who never had an intention to destroy a fellow human. Yet, they have no chance of redemption in the face of nature. All of them eventually felt how “the pines rocked, the storm eddied and whirled above the miserable group, and the flames of their altar leaped heavenward as if in token of the vow” (Harte, 1982, p. 21). At the end of the day, nature makes people reconsider their values when feeling like taken hostages of the all-mighty creature, for whom a single human life is a grain of sand.
Finally, when speaking of the story’s theme, it is of paramount importance to dwell on the notion of human nature’s complexity. Often, while picturing an image of an inherently “bad” person, people tend to undermine the peculiarities of their nature, as they seem superficial enough not to reflect on their actions. However, when analyzing the character’s escalation in the case of Mr. Oakhurst, one may see how the coldness and dispassion he praises, in the beginning, is changed with faith in humanity. After realizing that one of the outcasts, Uncle Billy, abandoned the camp and went away with the mules, Mr. Oakhurst naturally found himself replete with anger and despair, yet deep down, he was the one who hoped that the accusation of abandonment was false. Instead, “for some occult reason, Mr. Oakhurst could not bring himself to disclose Uncle Billy’s rascality, and so offered the hypothesis that he had wandered from the camp and had accidentally stampeded the animals” (Harte, 1982, p. 18). Hence, the situation vividly demonstrates how even the most cold-minded gambler is capable of using hope as a driving force for sanity.
Having taken the aforementioned examples into consideration, it may be concluded that human nature, both as a complex and as a theme of Bret Harte’s story, leaves no definite impression. Indeed, when doing their best to characterize people and divide them into the categories of inherently good or bad, people tend to become even more confused. Moreover, when driven by the idea that some people are better than others, people inevitably lose in the battle with nature. They blindly believe that nature has mercy over the innocent ones. Thus, regionalism’s major idea is the manifestation of human beings as irrational creations trying to find a place in an equally confusing world. In such a way, people who are used to seeing romanticized labels in literature were able to see their reflection in the pages. When recognizing themselves in the characters, people had the chance to embrace their oddity rather than labeling their sophisticated inner universe.
Reference
Harte, B. (1982). The outcasts of Poker Flat. Creative Education.