The last description of John Oakhurst in the story is "he who was at once the strongest and yet the weakest of the outcasts of Poker Flat." The first description is that he is a gambler. When Oakhurst is exiled from Poker Flat, the author observes:

He was too much of a gambler not to accept Fate. With him life was at best an uncertain game, and he recognized the usual percentage in favor of the dealer.

Oakhurst is portrayed throughout the story as a strong and stoic figure, accepting his fate with philosophical calm. All the other outcasts seek solace in liquor, one of the very few luxuries afforded them. The alcohol soon reveals their weaknesses, but Oakhurst does not drink and remains reserved and sensible.

Oakhurst is constantly described as a gambler playing a losing game. The epitaph he composes for himself (written, significantly, in a firm hand) states that he "struck a streak of bad luck." He is a strong man playing weak cards. As a gambler, Oakhurst is familiar with this situation and philosophically accepts the hand he has been dealt. It is against his nature to struggle for survival, since he realizes from experience that such struggles are futile. This gambler's philosophy, to play the hand he has been dealt as coolly as possible, but then to get out of the game as soon as it is clear that he cannot win, is what makes Oakhurst simultaneously both the strongest and the weakest of the outcasts.

The final paragraph of the story tells readers that John Oakhurst was both the strongest and the weakest member of the outcasts. This final paragraph also tells readers that Oakhurst committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest with his Derringer pistol.

And pulseless and cold, with a Derringer by his side and a bullet in his heart.

I believe this is why the narrator of the story calls Oakhurst the weakest of the Poker Flat outcasts. He committed suicide, and by doing so, he failed to fight for his life until the bitter end. He gave up. However, the other members fought for every last breath by clinging together for the bit of extra warmth that it might offer. Oakhurst ran away from the group to end his personal suffering instead of continuing to fight for life.

As for why he is the strongest, it is because he maintains a cool and calm head once the group gets into trouble. He gives jobs to each member and pitches in as well. He is a good leader for these people that, historically, have not responded well to being led. That is why they are outcasts. By all indications, Oakhurst is smart enough and capable enough to have left the group early on and survived. He knows they should not stop for camp so early in the day.

It was, undoubtedly, the most suitable spot for a camp, had camping been advisable. But Mr. Oakhurst knew that scarcely half the journey to Sandy Bar was accomplished, and the party were not equipped or provisioned for delay.

Yet, Oakhurst does agree to stop for camp. He absolutely could have left the group and gone on his own way to ensure his survival. That is what Uncle Billy ends up doing, but Oakhurst is a strong enough person to know that the group needs his guidance. Ultimately, he proves willing to stay.

John Oakhurst, the gambler, is called “both the strongest and the weakest of the Outcasts of Poker Flat.” To understand why, one must look back to the beginning of the story, when Oakhurst left the town with the other outcasts. He was with people who were very ill equipped to deal with their circumstances: a prostitute, a drunk, and an accused “witch.” It falls to Oakhurst to lead them, to help them travel, and to watch over them. He does this with little complaint. When they insist on stopping, though he protests, he accepts that he must stay with them or they will surely die. When Tom and Piney arrive, he tries to send them on their way, but they have nowhere to go, and he takes on the responsibility for them, too.

When the party begins to realize that they will probably die, Oakhurst does what he can to keep them alive. He cuts wood, he divides up the food, and he goes along with the storytelling that helps to keep the spirits up. When it comes time to face reality, he makes snowshoes for Tom, cuts a huge amount of wood, and tells the ladies he is going to see Tom to the clearing. He never returns, and when they find him, he has committed suicide. He can face being an outcast, he can take responsibility for everyone else, but he cannot face the fate the ladies met—freezing to death. So, he is the strongest because he took care of everyone else, and he is the weakest because he could not face dying the same way they did.

In which ways is Oakhurst both the strongest and weakest of "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"?

The famous short story "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Bret Harte tells of a group of people who are banished from a small California town when its citizens decide to purge the population of "improper persons." John Oakhurst is one of four people sent out into the wilderness, along with a saloon girl known as the Duchess, a woman named Mother Shipton, and a thief and drunkard called Uncle Billy. Two other people join them later.

Oakhurst is the strongest of the group due to his calm, measured, and philosophical attitude. He is the only one of the four who does not get extremely emotional at their departure. Additionally, unlike the others, he does not drink. He also has a profound sense of loyalty. The author writes: "The thought of deserting his weaker and more pitiable companions never perhaps occurred to him." As a result, the others trust him and look to him for leadership. When Uncle Billy takes off with the mules, leaving the others stranded in the midst of a snowstorm, Oakhurst makes up a story to avoid frightening his companions. All these examples show Oakhurst's strength of character.

Oakhurst's weakness lies in his regard of life as a type of poker game that is won or lost by chance. At one point, as Oakhurst realizes that it is likely that none of them will get out of the desperate situation alive, Harte writes: "Mr. Oakhurst settled himself coolly to the losing game before him." This gives him a sense of fatalism. Instead of waiting at the cabin and hoping for rescue, he accepts defeat and commits suicide.

In which ways is Oakhurst both the strongest and weakest of "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"?

John Oakhurst is a gambler who is outcast with the others primarily because of his profession rather than any specific act of impropriety like the others. Oakhurst immediately becomes the leader of the group, and when the snowstorm hits, he tries to keep their spirits up. He fashions a pair of snowshoes and sends Tom Stimson back to Poker Flat to seek a rescue party. However, when the party finally arrives, they find that Oakhurst has committed suicide rather than face a slow death by freezing. It is in this regard that Oakhurst is referred to as both the strongest and weakest of the group.

In "The Outcasts of Poker Flat," what does Harte mean when he describes Oakhurst as the strongest yet the weakest?

I have always assumed that the weakness of Oakhurst had to do with his decision to commit suicide rather than die slowly in the blizzard. But he also had a weakness for humanity, which he showed on more than one occasion during the story. As for being the strongest, he probably had a higher moral character than any of the rest of the outcasts, and he also seemed to be the most intelligent. Oakhurst was merely a gambler who had committed no other crime but playing cards in a town that looked down upon the sport. He was the leader of the group, and the others looked to him for guidance. In the end, he took the easy way out, dying alone so that the others might still have hope for a few more hours.