Rhonda Eng 232 "Tennessee's Partner" by Bret Harte

Bret Harte's dad had died and then he moved with his mom to the west. It was believed that Bret rode solo on the stagecoach for Wells Fargo Express. This was the name of a train and it was a very dangerous job. Bret was proclaimed to be a young genius who was able to read Shakespeare at the age of six. He was also considered to be a great writer but had wasted his talent. He was so good at writing that Charles Dickens wanted Bret to come to London and work with him. The reason why his work never made mainstream was because it was location based. Once he moved from the West he continued to write the same type of writing and people got tired of reading the same ol' mess.

Tennessee's Partner was a hard novel for me to read. I had to read the story twice before I finally got it. Tennessee's Partner had fallen in love with a woman and got married to her. She ends up leaving Tennessee's Partner and starts a relationship with Tennessee. Tennessee ends up leaving one day and when he returns she isn't with him. Neither one of the men really loved her because they were both happy to get rid of her.

Then one day Tennessee decided that he would rob someone that was on his way to Red Dog. He ended up taking the man's weapons and money. The owner of Sandy Bar and Red Dog had put out a warrant for Tennessee's actions. Tennessee ends up going to the bar and shooting up the bar. He leaves the bar and is meet up with a small man on a horse. This man ends up arresting him. The man that caught Tennessee was the judge name Lynch. His name is definitely ironic, being that he is the one that has control over lynching him. Tennessee is found guilty and is sentenced to death. They decide to hang him.

Tennessee Partner was a true friend to Tennessee. No matter what they went through in their course of friendship Tennessee's Partner was always by his side. Tennessee's Partner was there for him when Tennessee was being prosecuted. He tried to convince the jury that he was a good man. He was also there to help carry his body to the grave. Once Tennessee was buried they tried to have Tennessee's Partner prosecuted. They opened up the investigation and determined that he was innocent.