The Outcasts Of Poker Flat 'And Under The Lion's Paw'

1. In all three of our readings, the Western landscape has been described as a dangerous obstacle to overcome: in Bret Harte’s “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” and Hamlin Garland’s “Under the Lion’s Paw,” the land threatens the character’s lives, while in Zane Grey’s “The Ranger,” Vaughn must seriously consider the terrain and his horse’s abilities as he first tries to catch up to Quinela’s people and later works to escape them. Clearly, nature was a hostile force for Western people. This constant hostility would contribute to the determination, independence, and strength associated with the Western character.

2. The Haskins from “Under the Lion’s Paw” have the most clear motivation to travel to the West when they’re previous farm was destroyed

by grasshoppers. For the Haskins, the West is their second chance, the opportunity to succeed economically for their future of their children. Unfortunately, they also reflect the cliche of being stuck in the West once traveling there, not because they’ve changed, but because they are trapped by the corrupted Western society and economy.
3. The “Code of the West” is the unique chivalric culture formed in the Old West. Though this culture reflects the characteristics associated with the reality of the West, it also reflects the mythic West formed through literature and film. The code helps to shape the Western identity, but it’s so idealized that it does not correspond with a rapidly evolving society, often compromised by the pressure of competition and survival in the flourishing Western territory.
4.

The West’s influence on morality is highly varied throughout our texts. For some, the West has inspired virtue; for others, the West has inspired corruption. As for religion, the faith we see in these texts seem to often be connected to luck and morals. In “The Outcasts of Poker Flat,” the outcasts (besides Uncle Billy) are clearly virtuous figures—Mother Shipton standing out for her selflessness in her sacrifice of her own food. Though we don’t know much of Mother Shipton before they are kicked out, it’s possible that her circumstances as an outcast spurred on that selflessness; outside of the confines of society and stuck in the danger of the western land, she has nothing left to lose. Meanwhile, the citizens of Poker Flat are turned toward corruption disguised as virtue as Harte describes, “It was experiencing a spasm of virtuous reaction, quite as lawless and ungovernable as any of the acts that had provoked it” (34). Here, the frontier justice of the West becomes an excuse to punish everyone that does not fit into ideal society.

In “The Ranger,” Vaughn is clearly positioned as a figure of bravery, intelligence, and virtue, partially due to his job as a ranger. Unlike Mother Shipton, his standing in society contributes to his virtue. He is also one of the characters that describes luck as his religion as Grey explains, “his luck had begun to take over. He divined it, trusted it with mounting hope” (167). The luck he believes in seems to strengthen his belief in good vs. evil: he has luck on his side because he is in the “right,” encouraging him to act

morally.
In “Under the Lion’s Paw,” Butler repeatedly acts immorally and it seems in large part because of the immense opportunities of the West. As he learns of his ability to take advantage of the struggling Western newcomers, he quickly loses virtue. On the other hand, Steve Council is spurred on by the struggle and code of the West to act virtuously, illustrated when he asserts, “when I see a man down, an' things all on top of 'm, I jest like t' kick 'em off an' help 'm up. That's the kind of religion I got” (9). Unlike other characters, Council has turned the code of the West into his religion, inspiring him to continually go out of his way to be kind.
5. The American West is unique in its ability to bring out the true morality of an individual. As we’ve seen, the West can inspire virtue or immorality, and it all depends on whether an individual uses the codes to better themselves or harm the people around them.