"The men had suddenly awakened to the fact that there was beauty and significance in these trifles, which they had so long trodden carelessly beneath their feet."
I wondered where this story was going since it didn't really have any conflict til the last page that also concluded the story. Its funny how such a short text could still make you care about the characters even though there was only approximately five pages to get to know them. Once the narrator mentioned the flooding of other camps I dreaded what might come next for The Luck. I really liked how Harte wrote about the details of the camp and its inhabitants - it seemed like he was going for illustrating the realism of gold mining camps in their integrity. The dialect, description of appearance and lack of hygiene made the transformation for Luck much more impactful for the reader since the effect was more apparent from the baby. The story highlighted how even though the men were 'rough' and wrapped up in their own uncivilizedness, they collectively found their own tenderness and softness through the baby which in turn improved their own lives' quality.
Harte really does describe his characters in depth without really adding any conflict throughout the story until the end. One of the conflicts could have been the naming of Luck but the flood seems to be the ultimate ironic conflict in the story. Roaring Camp started off as an uncivilized community but through this bay the town grew and prospered until the flood. Bu they did have some good times while it lasted.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree--the characterization was my favorite part of the story as well. People often think that short stories are easy to write, but I think Harte shows how wrong that is. It takes skill to flesh out characters well enough to be liked in a short space. I think short-story writers can only put in the most important physical and personality traits to maximize space. Thus, their characters are usually more vibrant than those in longer stories. You can tell the story of an average character in pages and pages. But you need an incredibly interesting character to sum up a story in a few paragraphs. The members of the Roaring Luck camp are some of those incredibly interesting characters.
ReplyDeleteYou make a really good point. I never really thought how attached a reader can get to the characters in their favorite stories. The characters in this one were even more likeable because of how much they cared for the small child. It is amazing the change that can come from having hope, hope and responsibility for the life of another. I think that when one is able to put their own selfish desires aside in order to care for another, that is the moment when life is worth living. It is not until one finds meaning that they can live to their fullest potential
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