Local Color Elements in Bret Harte's The Outcasts of Poker Flat

In Bret Harte's short story "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" there are three main local color elements which are: the vigilance committee, the character of Uncle Billy, and the geography of the Sierra mountains and Poker Flat. These three elements give us a good picture of not only the times Harte lived in but also the area in which the story is based.

The committee described in the story that bans the four outcasts from ever stepping foot in Poker Flat shows the desperate state the town was in and their attempt to restore morality to their home. At first they wanted to hang the main character John Oakhurst to make a statement to others even though he has committed no offense worthy of that punishment. The harshness of this committee can enlighten our understanding of Poker Flat's values. When a "secret committee" has to meet to "rid the town of improper persons" even by killing them, there must be something dreadfully wrong in the town. (Harte 428) The committee was most likely not justified in the hangings of the two men they hung on "a sycamore in the gulch". (Harte 428) Their crimes against the town aren't mentioned in the story but based on the reaction the committee has against other people we could assume that they didn't deserve their fate.

The second local color element in the story would be the character type of Uncle Billy. Uncle Billy is a foul-mouthed suspected robber of sluices who was a "confirmed drunkard". (Harte 429) This character seems to be a stereotyped character at first glance, he fits the role of the drunk, obnoxious village idiot that embarrasses the whole town regularly. Uncle Billy while was supposed to be exceptional immoral was not to different than some of his fellow towns mates. In an 1850 gold mining town in California the whole town went to the bar after their day of working. He was not an exception to what most of the men in Poker Flat probably acted like, he unlikely got singled out and therefore he was banned.