“The Luck of Roaring Camp” is subtly satirizing the biblical birth story of Jesus. This comes across in the overarching plot of the story—rather than a baby born to a virgin mother and the Lord, baby Luck is born to a sex worker and a mystery father (who, it could be argued, is an “absent” father in the way that God is). Like Jesus, baby Luck is born in less-than-ideal circumstances (a dirty cabin rather than a manger) and is visited, upon his birth, by men honoring him with gifts (gold boot spurs, silver teaspoons, and handkerchiefs rather than gold, frankincense, and myrrh).
More important than the specifics of his birth is the fact that, like Jesus, baby Luck inspires “sinners” (the miners at Roaring Camp are mostly criminals and fugitives) to change their ways, redeeming themselves in the process. The satire comes across in the humorous ways that the men change, such as starting to wear clean shirts for the first time and give up curse words.
In addition to satirizing certain aspects of Christianity himself, Harte also has his characters do so, such as when the men decide to have a christening for the baby:
A day was accordingly set apart for the christening. What was meant by this ceremony the reader may imagine, who has already gathered some idea of the reckless irreverence of Roaring Camp. The master of ceremonies was one “Boston,” a noted wag, and the occasion seemed to promise the greatest facetiousness. This ingenious satirist had spent two days in preparing a burlesque of the church service, with pointed local allusions.
Here, Harte notes “the reckless irreverence of Roaring Camp,” along with how the “ingenious satirist” in charge of the christening wanted the ceremony to feature “the greatest facetiousness.” With the christening, and the story as a whole, Harte demonstrates an ability to both gently mock Christianity while also highlighting the importance of certain Christian principles, like the ability for “sinners” to redeem themselves, even if they don’t do so in perfectly pious ways.
