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What are some major themes of the story "The Luck of Roaring Camp"?

One of the themes of the story is the possibility of redemption, especially for sinners. The baby in the story, christened Thomas Luck, is born from Cherokee Sal, a prostitute. After Sal dies in childbirth, the men at the camp are redeemed by taking care of the baby. They give him a christening, and, as Harte writes, "Soon after the ceremony, Roaring Camp began to change." The proprietor of the store where the men play cards decides to install rugs and mirrors, and the rowdy and disheveled men, seeing themselves in the mirrors, decide to care for their hair, beards, and clothes. They keep their voices down in the camp so that the baby can sleep, and the camp becomes a place of serenity. When a flood courses through the town, the baby is sadly killed, and Kentuck, who cared for the baby, is mortally injured. He goes out to sea, taking the baby with him--a symbol that he brings the luck and redemption he has achieved with him to his demise. Another major theme of the story is the changeable nature of fate or luck, as the baby quickly brings joy to the camp, but the men's fate changes just as quickly with the dangerous flood that rips through the camp.

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