Question

In at least 150 words, and using examples from "Tennessee's Partner," explain how Harte uses local color to depict life in the West.

Answer 1

The literary movement of local-color regionalism in American literature is a very distinctive and interesting form of fiction writing that effectively combines regional characteristics, dialect, customs and humor. In Bret Harte’s Tennessee’s Partner, these characteristics helped the story jump off the page, allowing the reader to understand the “times” rather than just the characters. And, for that reason, I feel that this is an outstanding piece of work.

One of the most distinguishable characteristics of local-color regionalism writing is the usage of authentic dialect based on the story’s setting. In Tennessee’s Partner, Harte uses this tactic best when quoting the title character. 

Another local-color characteristic that Harte used in Tennessee’s Partner was the development of characters based on their setting. The reader never feels like he knows much at all about any of the characters – even Tennessee and his partner – at all. In fact, neither does the narrator. But through the use of description, the two main characters become more stereotypes of miners in the Gold Rush era; they were typical rugged, gambling, scorched-skinned, strong, simple womanizing men.

This much is true with no one more than the title character, as his actions reveal more about the time’s ‘concept’ of death during his friend’s execution and burial rather than going too deep into his own personal feelings about this particular death. Tennessee’s Partner quickly compares his friend’s burial to all the other drunken trips his shouldered with Tennessee in the past and seemingly moves on from the finality of the situation with ease.

Lastly, Harte uses the setting as a major element of the story, almost turning the vast land of Tennessee’s Partner into a character itself. The settings in most local-color stories usually have an emphasis on nature and the land is usually remote and out-of-the-way, and the setting of this story is no different.

Answer 2

"Tennessee's Partner", written by Bret Harte, appeared for the first time in the San Francisco magazine, "The Overland Monthly"(1869).

The story is about the close relationship between two men of Sandy Bar, California, in the 19th century. There, at the gold-mining settlement of that place, Hart imprint colorful descriptions to the places and characters of the story.

Hart describes the gold camps in California in a humorous way but full of realism.

The story is about the close relationship between two men of Sandy Bar, in Calaveras County, California, in the 19th century. There, at the gold-mining settlement of that place, Hart imprint colorful descriptions to the places and characters of the story.

Hart describes the gold camps in California in a humorous way but full of realism. That element of humor reduces the sentimentality and melodrama of the story. The dialogue and conversations of the characters capture the colorful dialects of the people, describing their ways of thinking, habits, culture prejudices, and their particulate way of imparting justice.  

Finally, using the colorful and humorous description, the two main characters become more stereotypes of miners in the Gold Rush times: strong, manly, gambling men.