Reading Notes W3: The Luck of Roaring Camp, PART A

Citation: "The Luck of Roaring Camp" -Francis Bret Harte

Summary: Story opens with Cherokee Sal (the only woman in the area) in labor. She dies in childbirth and the men of the town decide to adopt the newborn orphan. The once gambling and fighting-filled town turned clean. The men dressed nicely, stopped cussing, the neighboring areas were cleaned, and everyone nurtured the child. They named the boy “Luck” or “Tommy Luck.” The miners found gold and associated it with Luck, and ironically, shortly after, floods hit the area and young Luck died.

Research:            -Roaring Camp: Gold Rush mining settlement

-Time/Era: California Gold Rush (mid-1800’s)

Style:                    -The type of writing is a tall tale *it over exaggerates hero; in this case, baby Luck”

-It is a local colour. It highlights the region, and the way people act (i.e. dialect, mannerisms slang)

Themes:              -Hope: a town filled with maddened miners had the miracle of having a child born in the town, this altered the way they lived, and they found hope with baby Luck. With hope they began to improve themselves as well as the area to provide for the child.

                              -Nature is a strong force: During this time people believed that nature was harsh and unforgiving. The use of the theme in the story represents it’s time. When baby Luck was born, the town hit its high, but it was short-lived and unfortunately nature showed its fury.

Literary Terms:  -Symbolism: the child born is a symbol of hope, and for the town he is luck to them and that’s why they name him that.

                              -The author employs irony in a literal way. The child is named Luck, but in the end the luck of the town is quite literally lost and killed in a flood.

                              -The Point of View is 1^st person POV. I think the author does this to add believability to this tall tale; as if he was actually there to experience the miracle of Luck.

                              -The author’s diction is representative of the time; the word choice used (Ex. derringer-pocket pistol and doubloon-gold coin) and the character’s dialect.