The Cop and the Anthem’ is a short story by the US short-story writer O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). His stories are characterised by their irony, their occasional sentimentality, and by their surprise twist endings. ‘The Cop and the Anthem’ contains all three of these key elements of an O. Henry story, which focuses on the adventures of a homeless New York man trying to get himself arrested so he can spend the winter in jail, so he can escape the cold of the streets.
The Cop and the Anthem is a humorous story. Soapy, the vagabond was looking in search of shelter in winters. He was a jobless and homeless man. Furthermore, Soapy became restless due to the approaching winters. As such Soapy wanted shelter and the Blackwell Island prison came to his mind. Consequently, he tried to get arrested for the winter season duration. His first plan was to eat at a good restaurant and refuse to pay. As such he came to a good restaurant but the head waiter forced him out due to his broken old shoes. Soapy then went to another restaurant and said he had no money. In spite of this, his arrest didn’t take place. His other attempts also ended in failure. Childhood thoughts made Soapy realize his mistake. Soapy then decided to live a life of dignity but soon got arrested by a cop.
Soapy was a man who was jobless as well as homeless. He was getting restless because of the signs of approaching winters. These signs were that birds were moving to the south, trees shedding leaves, and men had a desire for new warm clothes.
These signals made him fearful of the approaching winters. As such he had a desire for shelter during the winter period. He came to choose Blackwell’s Island prison instead of other places like the southern skies or Bay of Naples.
Soapy then made attempts to get himself arrested. His first plan was to eat at a fine restaurant and then say that he had no money. Soapy thought that this would send him to Blackwell’s prison for three months. The story focuses on his various failed attempts to get arrested by a New York policeman (hence ‘The Cop’ in the story’s title, ‘The Cop and the Anthem’).
With this plan in mind, Soapy came to a restaurant where only the wealthy people came every evening. The head waiter saw the broken shoes of Soapy and forced him out. Hence, his first attempt was a failure.
He had another idea to break a glass window with a stone. Soapy stopped after seeing a policeman arriving there when the police man comes, he fails to believe Soapy is the criminal on the basis that the real criminal would have run away afterwards doing such a big crime. However, instead of arresting him, the policeman thought wrongdoers don’t flee the crime scene and hence he didn’t arrest Soapy.
Soapy then came to a second restaurant. After eating the food there, Soapy said that he had no money to pay. When he announces he can’t pay for the food he’s eaten, he’s simply thrown out by the waiter who refuses to call the police.
Soapy made another attempt for his arrest. This time he began shouting like a drunk man in front of the theatre. Even his attempt to cause a nuisance by pretending to be drunk and disorderly is mistaken for student high-jinks by a policeman, so he remains very much free. The cop thought that he was a college boy from Yale and hence left him as they had strict orders from above..
Soapy then saw the umbrella of a man buying a newspaper. He then came to the decision of stealing it. Soapy then took the umbrella and the man kept following him. Stealing a man’s umbrella also fails, because the man confesses he himself had taken it from someone else that morning, and mistakes Soapy for its rightful owner. Soapy then told him to call the cop who was standing at a corner. The man refused to call the cop because he thought that Soapy was trying a trick on him.
Soapy then gave up all hopes of getting arrested. Finally, Soapy comes to an old church and hears an organ playing religious music within (hence ‘the Anthem’ part of the story’s title). The church was near Maddison squire, his old childhood home. Then a sudden change came in his soul. He is struck by an epiphany and resolves to turn his life around, starting by going into town the following day to find work.
At that moment, Soapy came to the decision of changing his life for the better. He decided to fight the challenges of life. Just then a cop came there and he asked Soapy that what he was doing there. Soapy then began to argue with him due to his new confidence. However, the cop took him and the judge gave him three months prison sentence on Blackwell’s Island.
Conclusion of The Cop and the Anthem
The Cop and the Anthem tell us that in spite of the wrong things we do, there are times when we can realize our wrongdoings and change our lives.
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