reflection of the Outcasts of Poker Flats

After reading The Outcasts of Poker Flats, I recognized the characterization and how it changed the characters in The Outcasts of Poker Flats.
The characterization of the characters is shown immediately in the story when the four outcasts, Mr. Oakhurst, a woman known as the “Duchess”, another woman titled “Mother Shipton”, and Uncle Billy are shown banished from the town of Poker Flats. Mr. Oakhurst is calm, quiet, and smart while Uncle Billy is “a suspected sluice robber and confirmed drunkard” (Harte, 536) The “Duchess” is like any other regular woman while “Mother Shipton” is accused of being a witch and is shown as an evil person when the group travels out the Poker Flats. As they go along on their journey, they meet up with Tom Simson and his to-be-wife, Piney. Both Piney and Tom are shown quickly as being very optimistic however bad the situation is.
As they go along on their journey, most of their characteristics change. The characters who do not change are Uncle Billy, Tom, and Piney. The “Duchess” becomes friendlier with the others, especially Piney. Mr. Oakhurst acts as a leader and tries to lead everyone to safety. The one who changed the most was “Mother Shipton”. She who was evil when the group left Poker Flats became very kind and gave all of her food to Piney, thus starving herself to death. All this is shown when “the lovers looked into each others eyes and were happy. Mr. Oakhurst settled himself coolly…The Duchess, more cheerful then she had been…Only Mother Shipton seemed to sicken and fade” (Harte,540).