On Bret Harte's The Outcasts of Poker Flat (2)

Yuen M. Ho
English 48B
January 19, 2007
Journal #7 Bret Harte

I. Quote

“It’s agin justice,” said Jim Wheeler, “to let this yer young man from Roaring Camp – an entire stranger – carry away our money.” But a crude sentiment of equity residing in the breasts of those who had been fortunate enough to win from Mr. Oakhurst, overruled this narrower local prejudice.

II. Summary

These few lines caught my attention because of its use of the word “justice.” While the dealers seemed to be discussing about a universal, moral concept of justice and upholding it, after all, they were merely concerned about their money. Another interesting fact to take notice of is that there were certain people who could win from Mr. Oakhurst, meaning that even though Mr. Oakhurst might have won a big sum of money, he lost at times. This probably indicated that Mr. Oakhurst did not cheat, but was just professional or fortunate enough to get the overall balance tipped to his side.

As a gambling house, dealers should know well that in the world of gambling, there is always switch of fortune but no absolute winner. To be a fair dealer, one should accept loss just as swiftly and calmly as one receives profit. To uphold justice, it is the responsibility of dealer to enforce the policy of “fair trade,” meaning that no one cheats or is at a privileged position. Yet, the concept of “justice” in Poker Flat is the kind of self-centered and profit-oriented “justice” – anyone or anything disturbing the Flat from earning profit is not justified in their sense.

III. Response

The way Poker Flat perceived “justice” elicited a recall of figures or countries in history that seemed to stand firm on the benefit of the people but were indeed merely concerned about their own gain. A prominent example is Holocaust – an attempt to purify the race by slaying all Jews. Hitler pronounced the policy as a way to purify the German race and wash off the evilness. Nevertheless, the real motive behind this brutal attempt was to secure his power base and remove any opposition – shocking, just as any other truth.

While I have no understanding of the historical context of this story, I believe Harte was mocking some political figures who claimed to be altruistic, but was in reality the otherwise.