Week 3, Analysis, Literary Analysis, The Luck of Roaring Camp

The story of, The Luck of Roaring Camp, was very detailed on the culture of the camp and how the camp started regeneration, once a child was born. Roaring Camp was a male only camp, with one woman, Cherokee Sal. The men at this camp were "rough", missing fingers, toes, and eyes, strong, and a close cluster of men that stuck together. Cherokee Sal was a woman, that was coarse, feared and a very sinful woman, she was abandoned, isolated, and alone at a time that she needed another woman. Cherokee Sal was pregnant and in labor, with only rough men around her and helping. 

Once the baby was born, his mother, the only woman in the camp died. All of the men were invited into the cabin to see the baby boy and contribute anything they wished for the newborn baby. Kentuck, who was a very roughed, walked by and the baby boy grabbed his finger, this interaction affected him, you could say changed him, he went from a man that was, "habits of frontier life, had began to regard all garments as a second cuticle, which like a snake's only slought off through decay.... Yet such was the subtle influence of the innovation that he thereafter appeared regularly every afternoon in a clean shirt, and face still shinning from his ablutions." To a man that cleaned up every day so he could hold the baby.

The men in the camp decided to keep, care and raise the baby, they decided against giving him to another camp or having a woman come to the camp to take care of him, they did not want another woman in their camp. “This unkind allusion to the defunct mother, harsh as it may seem, was the first spasm of propriety, - the first symptom of the camp’s regeneration.” This is when the camp started regeneration.

Stumpy, the man who helped deliver him, was his caregiver. The men named him Tommy Luck. It was thought that he brought, "the luck," to the camp. 

Tommy Luck was given a cabin that was keep clean and had improvements to make it a comfortable. Regeneration continued at Roaring Camp, a changes happened all over the camp, they started to improve their personal cleanliness, social sanitary, and moral laws. It was a honor and privilege to hold the baby. The camp was not allowed to be make loud noises, yell, cuss, smoke around Tommy, the men started to whisper, use soft vocal music, and see the beauty around them.

The golden summer came and the claims had yielded a lot, the camp was becoming prosperous. "With the prosperity of the camp came the desire for further improvements." The camp decided that they would build a hotel the following spring and have a family or two come and stay, they thought it would be good for Tommy. Most men agreed but there were a few that were hesitant, but it was not going to be for a few months, so they continued to plan.

That winter there was a lot of snow on the mountains, rain, rivers looked like lakes, a camp nearby, Red Dog, was flood twice and Roaring Camp was warned. One day the water from the river rose above the bank and flood the camp. The next morning, Stumpy's cabin was gone and his body was found, but Tommy Luck was missing. A relief boat came with Kentuck and he was holding Tommy Luck in his arms, he was dead. Kentuck was dying and was upset Tommy Luck was dead. He continued to hold Tommy Luck in his arms and said, “he’s a taking me with him, - tell the boys I’ve got the Luck with me now.”

A camp that was full of rough men, raised a baby for a year, changed their culture to be cleaner and not as rough around the baby, they were open to improving their camp and inviting others, but with one bad winter the camp was destroyed and Luck, the baby who brought their camp luck was gone.