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Summary
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Luck of Roaring Camp, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sin, Redemption, and Children
The Fleeting Nature of Luck
Children, Caregiving, and Masculinity
Isolation, Community, and Hardship
The Brutality of the Old West
Summary
Analysis
It’s 1850, and something is amiss in the settlement called Roaring Camp. The “ditches and claims” are empty, and there are no gamblers inside of Tuttle’s Grocery. Instead, everyone has congregated on the edge of the camp outside of a cabin. They all converse about a woman whose name is “familiar enough” at Roaring Camp: Cherokee Sal.
This passage begins to orient readers as to the time and place the story is set. The phrase “ditches and claims” grounds the story in the Gold Rush era in the U.S. (a claim is the parcel of land that a person has the legal rights to mine, and the ditches are the narrow channels of land where miners work). The mention of gamblers further indicates that the story is set during the Gold Rush—a time when gambling abounded—and it’s also the first hint, besides the story’s title, that luck will play a key role in the story. On another note, Cherokee Sal’s name clearly paints her as a Native American woman, while the mention that her name is “familiar enough” begins to suggest that she’s a prostitute. The men of Roaring Camp are “familiar” with her in the euphemistic form of the word, meaning that they’ve all had sex with her.
Themes
Cherokee Sal is an irredeemably sinful woman, and she also happens to be the only woman at Roaring Camp. Right now, though, is when she most needs other women around her—she’s enduring a “martyrdom” without the empathy and sensitivity of other women. Instead, she’s surrounded by the gruff, almost disdainful faces of her “masculine associates.” Some of the men do feel compassion for her, though—like Sandy Tipton, who knows that this situation is “rough on Sal.”
The description of Sal being sinful beyond repair is more evidence that she’s a prostitute. It’s significant, too, that she’s the only woman at the camp, and that the men are described as her “associates”—a word that usually refers to partners or colleagues in business. This further suggests that Sal works as the settlement’s resident prostitute, and the men are her clientele. Her status as the sole woman at the settlement also implies that Roaring Camp is generally unfriendly to women—it’s a community of hardened, rough-and-tumble men. It’s unclear in this passage what hardship Sal is going through, though the fact that it’s described as a “martyrdom,” suggests that it is something honorable, despite her poor reputation. Most of the men seem unmoved by her situation (again depicting them as gruff and hardened), and the most sympathy she gets is the comment that things must be “rough” for her right now.
Themes
Death is commonplace in Roaring Camp, as are people being banished from the camp. But birth—that is, someone new being introduced into the community—is far from normal here, and that’s why the settlement is practically buzzing. The men volunteer an esteemed citizen named Stumpy to assist with the birth, given that he has experience with such things—after all, Stumpy fathered two families in the past. The other men of Roaring Camp, which is a “city of refuge,” urge Stumpy to help Sal, and he complies.
Here, the story clarifies Sal’s “martyrdom”: she’s giving birth. Given that Roaring Camp is a community entirely made up of men, this might be why they’re so insensitive to her plight—they don’t seem to have the experience or knowledge of what childbirth entails. Stumpy’s track record of fathering two families—which itself implies that he’s dealt with children, if not actually being involved in assisting labor—thus makes him most equipped to navigate this situation. The description of Roaring Camp as a “city of refuge” is a biblical allusion to a few spots in the Bible that mention a city or settlement that God created for outcasts and outsiders. This allusion speaks to the moral makeup of Roaring Camp: the men are all outsiders, cast out from other communities.
Themes
There are about 100 men at Roaring Camp. Some are fugitives, some are criminals, many are gamblers, but all of them are “reckless.” They don’t necessarily look gruff on the outside—for instance, a gambler named Oakhurst is thoughtful and melancholic with the “intellectual abstraction of a Hamlet.” But regardless of the men’s physical appearances, they are still extremely tough.
Building off of the reference to the “city of refuge,” which implies that Roaring Camp is made up of outcasts, this passage notes exactly what kind of outcasts call Roaring Camp home. Not all of the men are dangerous criminals (though certainly some are), nor do they all look the part of the rugged outlaw, but they are all “reckless.” This collective description begins to depict Roaring Camp as extremely insular and likeminded, and it also raises the question of if this community is a suitable environment for a baby. But the mention of Oakhurst’s philosophical leanings suggests there is more to these men than meets the eye—at least some of them are capable of being thoughtful and intellectual (hence the reference to Shakespeare’s protagonist in Hamlet).
Themes
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The landscape of Roaring Camp is rugged, too. The settlement is nestled in a triangular valley: there are towering hills on two sides and a river on the third side. The only way in and out of the camp is a steep trail that climbs up the summit of one of the hills. Tonight, in the moonlight, the trail is “winding like a silver thread until it gets lost in the stars.”
Roaring Camp’s physical attributes underscore the idea that the community is an insular one: the settlement is literally insulated on all sides by the natural world, making it difficult for outsiders to venture into the camp. This again speaks to why the baby’s birth is so profound—Roaring Camp is not accustomed to new people joining their community. The poetic description of the trail also emphasizes nature’s sheer beauty and vastness, as the trail seems to melt into the stars.
Themes
Over the crackling fire, the men place bets about if Sal will survive childbirth, if the baby will survive, and what the sex and skin color of “the coming stranger” will be. In the midst of these bets, the pine trees brush and sway in the wind, the fire cracks, and the river rushes. But suddenly, a “sharp, querulous cry,—a cry unlike anything heard before in the camp” rings out, and both nature and the men go silent.
The baby is described as a “stranger,” which is another indication that Roaring Camp isn’t used to new people joining their fold and that they’re suspicious of outsiders. (Furthermore, that the baby’s cry is “unlike anything heard before in the camp” stresses that this situation is doubly unheard of in Roaring Camp—this is not a place where women and children abound.) The fact that the men bet about something as serious as Sal’s odds of surviving childbirth speaks to their hardened, insensitive dispositions, but it also suggests that they see life itself as a gamble, which is a thread that will run throughout the entirety of the story.
Themes
Literary Devices
In an instant, “The camp rose to its feet as one man,” and some of the men fire their guns in celebration. But Cherokee Sal is dying, and fast: within an hour of giving birth, “she had climbed […] that rugged road that led to the stars.” As she dies, she leaves behind Roaring Camp’s “sin and shame.” Sal’s death doesn’t affect the men much, but they are concerned about what they’re supposed to do with a newborn baby. The men ask Stumpy if the baby will live, but Stumpy is unsure. The men successfully get the camp’s female mule to nurse the baby, which is “less problematic than the ancient treatment of Romulus and Remus.”
The men of the camp act as a single unit in this passage, suggesting that their insularity and suspicion toward outsiders leads to solidarity; they function “as one man” rather than as individuals. Here, the story returns to the imagery of the moonlight trail dissolving into the sky. This suggests that Sal is dissolving into nature itself, which again underscores nature’s vastness and power and humankind’s smallness. Thus far, the men have been described as rugged outlaws but not necessarily deeply sinful; it’s Sal who’s been painted as such. But the mention of Sal leaving behind the “sin and shame” of Roaring Camp suggests that the men are morally depraved—setting up for their redemption later on in the story. This passage draws on Roman mythology with the direct reference to Romulus and Remus: twin brothers who were nursed by a she-wolf, just as Sal’s baby is nursed by a mule. But the story of Romulus and Remus doesn’t end happily—one twin eventually kills the other—foreshadowing the baby’s death at the end of the story.
Themes
After sorting out these details, the men line up to see the baby, who is “swathed” in red flannel fabric and lying in a candle-box. Stumpy directs the men to walk through the cabin, see the baby, and leave any contributions to the baby in the hat on the table. The first man enters and takes his hat off in a sign of respect for the baby, which spurs all the men to do the same when it’s their turn—after all, “good and bad actions are catching” in communities like Roaring Camp.
This scene is a secular, Wild West rehashing of the biblical story of the Magi, or wisemen, bringing gifts to baby Jesus after he’s born in a manger in a stable. Here, the stable is a crudely built cabin, the manger is a candle-box, and the Magi are gold miners. The word “swathed” often appears in the New Testament as a description of how baby Jesus was “swathed in swaddling clothes”; Sal’s baby is “swathed” in red flannel, which is fitting for the story’s Old West setting. The idea that actions, whether good or bad, are “catching” in places like Roaring Camp also foreshadows the snowball effect of regeneration, or redemption, that will sweep over the camp.
Themes
The men mutter all manner of things to Stumpy when they see the baby—often criticisms, like “mighty small specimen.” They contribute all manner of small gifts too, including a “gold specimen,” a woman’s handkerchief (from Oakhurst), a diamond ring, and a golden spur. Stumpy watches on in silence, flanked on each side by the newborn baby and the dead Cherokee Sal.
The biblical Magi brought baby Jesus precious gifts: gold, myrrh (embalming oil), and frankincense (incense). These are all fitting gifts for their time and place, as both myrrh and frankincense are resins found from trees in Asia and Africa, and the Bible notes that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (though some scholars say Nazareth), which sits at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The Roaring Camp residents’ gifts are just as fitting and just as precious, given their time and place. Meanwhile, the repetition of the word “specimen” here—first used to describe the baby, and then used to describe a gold nugget—begin to draw an association between the baby and luck, or good fortune (in a mining settlement like this, good fortune means finding lots of gold).
Themes
Literary Devices
When it’s Kentuck’s turn to see the baby, he reaches out and grabs the Kentuck’s finger. Blushing and a little embarrassed, Kentuck mutters, “The d—d little cuss!” He very tenderly tries to loosen his finger from the baby’s grip, using more gentleness than perhaps seems possible from a rough-and-tumble outlaw like him. As Kentuck exits the cabin, he examines his finger closely in fascination, repeating to Tipton, “He rastled with my finger […] the d—d little cuss!”
Kentuck is the story’s clearest embodiment of hypermasculinity—here, his crass language and embarrassment over something tender like a baby holding onto his finger shows that he’s accustomed to acting macho and manly. But the blush that spreads across his cheeks is a lot like the earlier mention that Oakhurst, the notorious gambler, is actually quite thoughtful and intellectual—there is clearly a more sensitive side to Kentuck that he keeps under wraps. Kentuck’s fascination with this interaction shows that the baby is beginning to unlock this side of him.
Themes
Literary Devices
The men stay up almost all night, and Kentuck repeatedly recounts how the baby had held onto his finger. But he ends each enthusiastic retelling “with his characteristic condemnation of the newcomer” so as to not seem too soft or emotional—especially because “Kentuck had the weaknesses of the nobler sex.”
Kentuck’s continued fascination with the baby grabbing ahold of his finger again emphasizes that the baby has begun to unearth a more tender and sensitive side of Kentuck, but that the man is fearful of appearing effeminate and thus “weak.” He couches his affection for the baby in “condemnation of the newcomer,” suggesting that his hypermasculinity is a front, or an identity that he performs. The description of the baby as a “newcomer” also revisits the idea that Roaring Camp is incredibly small and insular, and new members are uncommon.
Themes
After everyone goes to bed, Kentuck takes a walk along the river and makes his way to Stumpy’s cabin, “whistling with demonstrative unconcern.” At the redwood tree next to the cabin, Kentuck pauses and takes another lap around the area, past the river, and back to the cabin. He finally knocks on the door; when Stumpy answers, Kentuck asks how things are going, his eyes locked on the baby. After an “embarrassing” pause, Kentuck holds his finger up and repeats, “Rastled with it,—the d—d little cuss.”
Kentuck’s hypermasculinity continues to seem performative, as he “whistle[s] with demonstrative unconcern” to make it look like he’s casually, almost indifferently, visiting the baby. Really, though, he is clearly interested in the baby and wants to see him again. His repetition of the phrase “Rastled with it,—the d—d little cuss” also points to his growing affection for the baby, and the “embarrassing” pause before he says this suggests that Kentuck is struggling to stuff down these tender feelings of love and care, as such feelings aren’t usually welcome in Roaring Camp.
Themes
Cherokee Sal’s body is buried in the hillside the next day, and the men hold a formal meeting to discuss what they should do with her baby. The men decide, “unanimous[ly] and enthusiastic[ally],” to adopt the baby as their own. However, Tipton floats the idea of sending the baby to the town of Red Dog, 40 miles away, where the baby could be nursed and raised by a woman. The rest of the men vehemently, “unanimous[ly]” oppose this idea. Tom Ryder adds that the people of Red Dog would probably “swap” the baby. This kind of skepticism of outsiders and their integrity abounds at Roaring Camp, as well as other places.
The detail that Sal’s body is buried in the hillside is a small one, but it connects back to the idea that she’s been absorbed into nature or the universe in death. Once again, nature is portrayed as extremely vast, and humans are just a small part of the universe. As before, the men show profound solidarity here, seen with the repetition of the word “unanimous.” Tipton is the outlier here, but the camp turns against him because his idea goes against the grain of the camp’s core value of skepticism toward outsiders. That’s what Ryder is speaking to when he says that the people of Red Dog would “swap” the baby either for a different baby or for goods; people at other camps, in other words, are not to be trusted.
Themes
And when someone else raises the idea of sending a woman to Roaring Camp to care for the baby, that idea is immediately shot down, too. For one thing, no “decent woman” would want to come to Roaring Camp—and for another, the men don’t want a woman at Roaring Camp. (The narrator notes that this reference to Cherokee Sal may seem harsh, but it is actually “the first spasm of propriety” and “regeneration” in the camp.)
That no “decent woman” would agree to come to Roaring Camp is an underhanded criticism of Sal—of course, she lived in Roaring Camp, so it’s implied that she was indecent. The narrator interjects here to guide the reader in interpreting this statement; while this comment about Sal is a harsh one, it’s also possible to see it in a more positive light, in that the men only want “decent” people in their community now. This moment is described as a “spasm” of respectability or morality because it happens suddenly and unexpectedly, like a muscle twitch that comes out of nowhere.
Themes
Literary Devices
Not wanting to say the wrong thing and threaten his position as a leader at the camp, Stumpy mostly stays quiet. But when asked, he affirms that he and the mule, Jinny, can raise the baby. To the men, this plan seems “original, independent, and heroic”; they all agree, and they send for some baby things from Sacramento. When the expressman comes through town, Roaring Camp’s treasurer stresses that the expressman should purchase only the highest-quality goods for the baby—lace and filigree, no matter the cost.
This passage speaks to what the men of Roaring Camp value: originality, independence, and heroism. These can all be seen as stereotypically masculine traits, so it makes sense that the men are on board with this idea about how they’re going to raise the baby. But the treasurer’s emphatic declaration that the baby deserves only the best—and his listing of stereotypically feminine fabrics and patterns—is a hint that the baby is softening these hypermasculine men.
Themes
As time goes on, the baby not only survives but thrives, possibly because of “that rare atmosphere of the Sierra foothills.” From Stumpy’s point of view, the baby’s good health is due to the mule’s nutritious milk. After a month, the men resolve to give the baby a proper name rather than just calling him “Stumpy’s boy,” or a slew of other nicknames. Oakhurst suggests the name “Luck,” because the camp has certainly been very successful ever since the baby arrived; the men agree to this and settle on the first name of “Tommy.” Oakhurst adds that they should give the baby a new name rather than naming him after Cherokee Sal: “It’s better […] to take a fresh deal all around. Call him Luck, and start him fair.”
The unique landscape of the American West (specifically Northern California, given the reference to the Sierra Nevada mountain range and a later reference to redwood trees) is part of what helps the baby grow to be so healthy and strong. But the story will soon subvert this idea that nature is completely gentle and nurturing, underscoring that the Western landscape is beautiful, but it’s also powerful and even brutal. Harte circles back to the concept of luck here with Oakhurst’s recommendation of naming the baby “Luck” to “start him fair.” As a notorious gambler, it makes sense that Oakhurst understands the world through this lens of odds and luck. In giving the baby a new name—rather than linking him to Cherokee Sal—the men would be setting the baby up to carve out his own path in life rather than being weighed down by his mother’s sin and shame. From Oakhurst’s perspective, then, the most loving thing they can do for the baby is to give him this fresh start. Naming him Luck would be a nod to this, of course, but it would also be a way to honor the idea that the baby is their good luck charm, as they’ve been successful (that is, they’ve found a lot of gold) since the baby was born. It may seem like just a coincidence that the men begin finding more gold now that the baby is part of their community, but the story notes several times that, as gamblers, the men are very superstitious. This is why they would naturally draw a causal relationship between the two seemingly unrelated events.
Themes
Literary Devices
The men decide to hold a “facetious[]” christening for the baby. A satirist among the men leads the ceremony, and Tipton is to be baby Luck’s godfather. But when the service begins, Stumpy stands and says that it doesn’t seem right to hold this kind of satirical christening that the baby won’t even understand—plus, he thinks that he’s best suited to be the baby’s godfather. Taking over the service, Stumpy announces, “I proclaim you Thomas Luck, according to the laws of the United States and the State of California, so help me God.” This is the first time the word “God” has ever been uttered seriously (that is, non-profanely) at the camp.
This scene shows the men grappling with the two sides of themselves: the irreverent, hypermasculine side that they usually display and the more tender side that the baby is slowly bringing out of them. In the Christian tradition, a christening is a ceremony in which a baby is baptized and given a Christian name. The men hold a “facetious” christening in this scene, meaning that they act out this serious religious ritual with inappropriate humor. But Stumpy—who’s usually portrayed as meeker than the other men—refuses to stand for this kind of treatment, as he clearly already loves and respects baby Luck deeply and wants him to have a proper ceremony. Of course, Stumpy unknowingly botches the christening—it’s not a baptism at all but is instead more of a legal statement—but his good intentions nevertheless show that the baby is beginning to transform the men of Roaring Camp.
Themes
Literary Devices
Roaring Camp begins to transform, starting with Stumpy’s cabin, where “the Luck” lives. His cradle, which traveled 80 miles by mule, is so beautiful that it makes the rest of the cabin look rundown, so the space is cleaned and refurbished. Many men hang around at Stumpy’s to see The Luck’s accommodations, and they appreciate the improvement. Tuttle’s Grocery also gets a facelift, even importing mirrors, which encourage the men to maintain better personal hygiene.
The detail about the beautiful cradle points back to the moment when the settlement’s treasurer stressed to the expressman (a messenger or mail carrier, often on horseback) that they only want the highest-quality goods for the baby. In this way, the cradle—and, by extension, baby Luck—catalyzes even more beautification at the camp. Indirectly, the baby encourages the men to take better care of their surroundings and of their physical appearances, which begins to flesh out the idea that children can have a uniquely transformative impact on their communities.
Themes
Stumpy also establishes rules surrounding personal hygiene for “those who aspired to the honor and privilege of holding ‘The Luck.’” This is particularly difficult for Kentuck, whose grimy clothes are more of a second skin that he sheds, much like a snake, only when they’ve all but disintegrated. But nevertheless, he shows up at Stumpy’s cabin every day in a clean shirt and freshly washed face.
On the surface, this passage is about having “the honor and privilege” of rocking and holding the baby, but it also implies that having luck or good fortune is an “honor and privilege” rather than a right. In other words, a person can’t necessarily count on having good luck. Here, Kentuck’s deep affection for baby Luck gets him to change a fundamental aspect of himself—his griminess—which is yet another indication that the Luck is renewing or transforming the camp.
Themes
Literary Devices
The settlement cleans up its act in other ways, too. Roaring Camp is known for being loud and rambunctious—which is what gave the camp its name in the first place—but the men even go so far as to speak in whispers when they’re within earshot of Stumpy’s cabin, so as to not disturb the Luck. They also clean up their language, cutting out phrases like “‘D—n the luck!’ and ‘Curse the luck!’” from their vocabulary.
Just as Kentuck changes something fundamental about himself for the sake of the baby, so too does the entire community, as the men soften their volume and the words and phrases they use out of respect for the baby. Baby Luck, this passage shows, is bringing out thoughtfulness and conscientiousness in the men.
Themes
The men don’t give up music, though, since it has a calming effect on baby Luck. An English sailor, Man-o’-War Jack, often rocks the Luck while singing him long-winded songs from the Navy. In the summer, the other men often lounge in the grass to listen, filled with an idyllic happiness. It reminds Simmons, who has a Cockney accent, of Greenwich.
The image of a tough sailor like Man-o’-War Jack rocking and singing to baby Luck shows the men balancing their hypermasculine identities and their burgeoning maternal instincts and sensitivity. The small detail about Simmons being nostalgic for Greenwich (a neighborhood in London, England) and having a Cockney accent suggests that while he may have simply come to the American West in search of gold, he also might have been kicked out of his old community, given that he ended up in a circle of outlaws and outcasts. If that’s the case, this detail encourages readers to remember that these men are “reckless” and to see how the Luck is softening them.
Themes
Literary Devices
When the Roaring Camp residents set out to mine for gold each day, they always spread out a blanket in a shady alcove for the Luck. The men attempt to beautify this nook with wildflowers, having been recently “awakened to the fact that there were beauty and significance in these trifles, which they had so long trodden carelessly beneath their feet.” Nature is like a friend and a mother figure to the Luck, and she sends him gentle breezes and warm, golden rays of sunlight.
Decorating the Luck’s little alcove with wildflowers in the hopes of delighting him is another way that the men begin engaging with softer, more sensitive, and more maternal sides of themselves thanks to the Luck’s influence. The men are described as being “awakened” to the beauty of the natural world, which they used to be entirely blind to. In other words, the Luck is positively transforming the way that the men behave and how they see the world around them, which underscores the power that children have to positively impact their communities.
Themes
Literary Devices
It’s the “golden summer” at Roaring Camp, “and the Luck was with them.” The men have been finding more and more gold, which makes them extra suspicious of outsiders. Luckily, though, their isolated location—plus the men’s proficiency with the revolver—keeps outsiders away. The only person who freely travels in and out of the camp is the expressman, and he spreads stories in other towns about Roaring Camp. He explains that the men “worship an Ingin baby,” decorate their houses with flowers and bathe twice a day—but that they’re also incredibly tough.
The word “golden” often refers to an idyllic, positive time—the “golden age” of an empire, for instance, is a time of prosperity and happiness. With this in mind, this passage suggests that the men of Roaring Camp are prospering financially but are also experiencing new levels of happiness. The phrase “the Luck was with them” of course means that the baby is with the men (i.e., the baby is part of their community and physically with the men while they mine for gold). But it also suggests that luck, as in good fortune, has graced the camp. Once again, the baby’s presence is directly linked to the men’s prosperity and happiness, which speaks to the baby’s positive influence on his surroundings. This passage also reminds readers of Roaring Camp’s insularity: people from other settlements only hear about the happenings at Roaring Camp through the expressman, which gives the camp and its residents an almost mythical, legendary quality. The expressman tells others about how the men of roaring camp “worship” an “Ingin” (Native American) baby, which is a reflection of the men’s deep love for and commitment to the Luck.
Themes
Since the men have been finding so much gold, they consider building a hotel in the spring and inviting a couple of “decent families” to live there, so that the Luck can grow up with women around him. Even though the men are contemptuous of women, most are willing to overlook this out of love for the Luck; only a few of them oppose the plan outright.
When Luck first entered into the world, the men were adamant that no “decent woman” would ever set foot in Roaring Camp; now, the majority of them think it’s entirely plausible that “decent families” might be convinced to move to Roaring Camp. This speaks to the moral and even physical regeneration that the community has been going through, thanks to the Luck.
Themes
But the plan never gets put into action. In the winter of 1851, the Sierras are thick with snow and the rivers run over, spilling into the gorges and gulches that run down the hillsides surrounding Roaring Camp. The men had been warned of this, given that the next town over, Red Dog, has just been flooded twice. When Stumpy first heard this warning of potential flooding, though, he said, “Water put the gold into them gulches […] It’s been here once and will be here again!” And indeed, the water rushes into the settlement, ripping out trees in its path.
The story’s Western frontier setting quickly shifts from being one of “pastoral happiness” to danger and brutality, underscoring nature’s sheer power. But Stumpy highlights that this ebb and flow of one’s fortunes, like the changing of the seasons, is entirely normal. Just like a bad winter storm that rolls in and then dissipates, luck comes and goes in unexpected waves.
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The flood begins, and Roaring Camp descends into chaos: it’s pitch-black, and the camp is filled with the sounds of trees snapping and water rushing. Stumpy’s cabin (the building closest to the riverbank) has been carried away entirely; the men are helpless to stop the destruction. In the morning, they find Stumpy’s dead body and discover with heavy hearts that “the pride, the hope, the joy, the Luck, of Roaring Camp had disappeared.”
The story doesn’t give many details about what, exactly, is going on during the flood (it’s unclear, for instance, how or when Stumpy dies). As such, readers are immersed in the chaos and confusion that the Roaring Camp men themselves are feeling as the water rushes around them in the darkness. The sound of cracking wood—from trees snapping against the flood’s pressure—highlights that nature is powerful and brutal enough to destroy even itself.
Themes
A relief boat arrives, and the captain explains that they found the body of a man and an infant—it’s Kentuck and the Luck. Kentuck is barely alive, and the Luck’s dead body is in his arms. The men of Roaring Camp tell Kentuck that he’s dying, but Kentuck softly smiles and says that he’s going with baby Luck. With the Luck still wrapped in his arms, Kentuck drifts into the murky river, floating away to an “unknown sea.”
The Luck Roaring Camp—and life itself—as quickly as he arrived. With this, the story is commenting on the nature of luck: it comes and goes without warning too, and sometimes, good fortune only stays around for a short amount of time. Just like the raging winter storm that the Western landscape stirred up, the men are powerless to control luck. Kentuck seems to accept this, given his contentedness with dying—and he also seems to be contended to be reuniting with the Luck in death, emphasizing his deep love for the baby. Just like with Cherokee Sal, death is again described with natural language (first it was a trail that leads to the stars; now it’s a river that leads to an “unknown sea”). This again underlines nature’s power and vastness and humans’ insignificance by comparison.
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