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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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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!”
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.”
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.”
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.
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.)
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.”
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.”
