Journal 6 Brett Harte - The Luck

Allister Lo
English 48B
January 18, 2008
Journal 6 Brett Harte

Quote: “It needed but a glance to show them Kentuck lying there, cruelly crushed and bruised, but still holding The Luck of Roaring Camp in his arms…A smile lit the eyes of the expiring Kentuck. “Dying!” he repeated; “he’s a-taking me with him. Tell the boys I’ve got The Luck with me now;” and the strong man, clinging to the frail babe as a drowning man is said to cling to a straw, drifted away into the shadowy river that flows forever to the unknown sea” (332-333).

Summary: After the flood that wipes out Roaring Camp, the people of Roaring Camp find Kentuck, trying to protect Tommy Luck, the Luck of Roaring Camp. However, in the process of trying to save the baby, not only is the baby killed, but Kentuck is on the verge of death too. However, instead of being dismayed, Kentuck is thrilled by the thought that he is accompanying the Luck into the afterlife.

Response: Throughout this story, I thought that Tommy Luck, the Luck of Roaring Camp would contribute something directly to the camp. Some may argue that he did indeed bring luck to the camp, as the camp underwent a huge transformation. The men began showering, and began planting flowers, and watching their language. In a town where the men had previously not batted an eye when a murder occurred, these were big changes. In addition to these changes, the gold claims were doing better than ever.

However, it can also be argued that all these changes were due to a shift in mindset of the locals. Tommy did not do or say anything to inspire these locals, but rather just his presence drew so much awe and the actions of some spread throughout the whole camp. The camp itself straightened itself out and it always had that capability to do so. All it needed was a direction, and Tommy Luck gave them this direction.

In a way Tommy Luck represented a Messiah figure, in that he helped change the town. Harte was known to produce parodies on Bible stories, and the Luck of Roaring Camp shared many parallels with the Nativity story. However, as seen in this quote, I think Harte wrote this story to challenge religious beliefs and the length to which people will go to and change because of them. In other words, I believe Harte is arguing that it is not religion that causes specific things to happen, but rather we, as people control our fates, in that we control our actions, and our actions can lead to us creating our own luck. It seems that Harte believes that religion is merely a crutch for us to lean on when in fact, we are perfectly capable of walking with our own two feet.