The Luck of Roaring Camp

I wanted to compare how the term and idea of "luck was presented in "The Luck of Roaring Camp" verses other stories we read this semester. In "The Luck of Roaring Camp" it seemed that luck just happened. In this case the town just got lucky with a little boy who changed everything for the town. The town was all of a sudden blessed with a little boy and everything seemed better. "The men had suddenly awakened to the fact that there were beauty and significance in these trifles which they had so long trodden and carelessly beneath their feet". (p 388) All of a sudden every ones attitude changed and circumstances for the town were better. In past stories luck did not just appear and always came at a price to the characters. Gerty and Trueman were not wealthy and had to work hard everyday to make ends meet. Ellen Montgomery is lucky enough to be given a bible, and all sorts of supplies; however these gifts came at a price because she lost her mother and father. In the "Yellow wallpaper" the main character is provided shelter and a husband that's a doctor, yet she is never allowed to leave her room and eventually goes crazy.
Although luck never seems to just appear for characters there is a theme that runs through all these stories and is highlighted in "The Luck of Roaring Camp". The idea that luck leaves as quickly as it comes. "Higher up the gulch they found the body of its unlucky owner; but the pride, the hope, the joy, The Luck of Roaring Camp had disappeared." Whether luck just appears as it did for Roaring camp, or given at a price like in "The Wide Wide World" Luck doesn't last forever. This is a common theme because it applies to reality. Authors during the nineteenth century were well aware that whether you stumbled into luck or worked really hard, luck did not last forever.