"The Outcasts of Poker Flat" is a naturalist, local color short story written by Bret Harte and first published in January 1869 in Overland Monthly. Published alongside another of Harte's stories, it was one of the first stories that garnered Harte national attention.
The story deals with typical American Western themes of safety vs. freedom, the indifference of nature, fate, and innocence, pitting the organization of society, the virtue of outlaws, and the power of nature against each other. It is also an excellent example of naturalist literature, as the work includes many near-mystical passages describing the verdant greenery of the Sierras.
The story has been adapted into film five...
