Human
Nature
In The Luck of Roaring
camp we see the ideas of humanity and human nature discussed. The idea of how
people change and change for the better is a major theme in this piece. We see
the rough and tumble camp life of the old west juxtaposed with motherhood and nurturing.
When a baby comes into the Roaring camp things
change. This is a camp made up of rough men, hard men, and men who are not
refined. This is a camp chalked full of criminals and gamblers. These men are
not exactly the people you would picture raising a child. The camp is also full of the stereotypes we hear about the
Wild West. When a baby is born to a woman named Cherokee Sal, things change.
Cherokee Sal soon dies and the men of this camp must now be in charge of this
baby. At first the men don’t know what to do. Kentuck calls the baby a “damned
little cuss” at first. When it wrestles with his finger, he is amazed and
starts to care about the baby like all the other men. The men take the
christening very seriously and bring gifts to this child.
When this baby comes
into the Roaring Camp the men are originally very rough and tough. The baby and
the way they care for it softens the men. The men turn into mothering figures
to this motherless child. These men are the godfathers to this child for all
intents and purposes. This short story does a really cool thing with the rough
and hard men of Roaring camp. This child comes in and changes things around
roaring camp. The men start changing their lives. They clean up the camp,
change their habits and really just change their lives. Men who are disgusting
start bathing on a regular basis. Men act better, it is all for this baby. This
baby came in and, like a Christ figure, changed these men’s lives. The men prove
that one can change their human nature if they really want to. It shows that
human nature can make someone change themselves for the better for another
person. These men changed themselves for the child.
The author does a nice
job of juxtaposing these rough and tumble men who live a hard life with
motherhood. He wanted to take two things that are very different and make them
comparable. These men changed is as major of a way as one could, and the author
did this on purpose. He wanted to show how powerful human nature is.
I really like how you noticed how the author compared motherhood to these rugged, tough men in this story. I will be honest that I didn't necessarily make this connection while reading the story but it totally makes sense and now that you pointed it out I can really see the parallels. It is a stretch for the author to compare criminals to being motherly--especially if they are men. However, I think that he did a great job of breaking the stereotype of criminals being these terrible, heartless people. The men in this story really step up to the plate and take on that "motherly" role of nurturing and truly caring for this little baby. It was fun and definitely out of character for these men to do that, but it made a great story and fun to read. Was there any particular quote or part in the story where you saw these men start to become motherly? I appreciate the author taking the step in writing a piece that goes against stereotypes because it proves that they can be broken. It a refreshing take on parenthood and the idea of a family--family doesn't have to be blood related that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI also though the idea of human nature in discussed in this story was interesting. I found the idea of a baby, the most innocent part of human nature bringing to life the humanity in a group of rough and tough men. I thought the way the author went about describing the men’s way of life and then the changes that occur after the baby’s birth were excellent ways of showing the shift in attitude and priorities. The men placed the baby first, and did everything they could to make it happy. It really showed how the author saw human nature as a strong, truly life altering force.
ReplyDeleteCorinna, Holly, and Floricel