The Luck of Roaring Camp

I choose to discuss “The Luck of Roaring Camp” because of how it made me react to the baby’s untimely fate; as I was sitting on my bed reading for today’s class, I literally threw the book away because I was so mad at how it had ended. Then today in class as we were discussing the story, I asked the question what was it about the story specifically that made me react so strongly to its plot twist? It is a pertinent question I think, because the storyline is so subtle and full of hope that by the time you get to the end you are very heavily emotionally invested in the outcome. And what outcome would be more captivating than the destruction of that object of attention? I’ve noticed this pattern of ending the story with a death or some kind of tragedy in all of the short stories that we have read so far in this class, and probably should have expected something similar in this story, yet it took me completely by surprise.

The intensity in a short story must by necessity build up very quickly. The author only has so many pages in which to write and thus you must quickly get to know the characters enough to care about what ultimately happens to them. Though “the Luck” could indeed have grown up in the camp and become a healthy and happy young boy, this is something that the reader expects and though it would make for a happy ending it isn’t that exciting or captivating. When something unexpected occurs to us, we usually end up trying to figure out why, which leads to a deeper contemplation of the text. If Harte had a deeper meaning he was trying to communicate to the reader, abruptly ending the story is an effective way to spark that.

The biggest thing that I was left wondering after I finished reading this story was what is going to end up happening to these men? They all began to change when the baby came to their camp, cleaning up their lives and their language to make themselves more appropriate company. With the baby dead and gone, will they continue to try to improve themselves as they did when they had “the Luck”? Will they fall back into old habits since they no longer have a motivator? Or will the death of the baby leave them further changed? The story ends before these questions are ever answered, so it may have been intentional on Harte’s part to get the reader to think about what occurs beyond the scope of the text. On top of that, the reader is left to wonder whether the gold brought up by the storm will prove adequate replacement for the loss of the baby. Before Luck came into their lives their money appeared to mostly be spent selfishly and frivolously on gambling and things. As different men then they were previously, will this new wealth be spent sensibly or will it be just another tool for them to fall back into old habits?

The short story format leaves many a question to be answered and is quite useful in demanding deeper reflection upon the material.