The Cop and the Anthem — O. Henry
'Soapy wanted to be arrested. He tried everything. Nothing worked. Then he decided to change his life — and was arrested immediately.'
1. About the Story
'The Cop and the Anthem' by O. Henry (American writer, 1862–1910) is one of the most famous SHORT STORIES in English literature. Soapy, a homeless man in New York, wants to get ARRESTED so he can spend the winter in a WARM JAIL. He tries EVERYTHING — but each attempt FAILS. When he finally decides to REFORM, he is ARRESTED. The story is a MASTERPIECE of SITUATIONAL IRONY.
Why This Story
- One of the greatest SHORT STORIES ever written
- Perfect example of DRAMATIC IRONY
- Sharp SOCIAL COMMENTARY about homelessness and poverty
- Unexpected TWIST ending
- Rich CHARACTERISATION and ATMOSPHERE
2. About the Author
O. Henry (William Sydney Porter, 1862–1910)
- American short story writer
- Famous for: 'The Gift of the Magi', 'The Last Leaf', 'The Cop and the Anthem'
- Known for:
- WITTY, IRONIC style
- SURPRISE ENDINGS (O. Henry twist)
- SYMPATHETIC portrayal of ordinary people
- VIVID descriptions of New York City
- DRAMATIC and SITUATIONAL IRONY
3. Character Analysis
Soapy
- A HOMELESS man in New York City
- WANTS to go to JAIL for the winter
- RESOURCEFUL — comes up with many plans
- PERSISTENT — keeps trying despite failure
- IRONICALLY — his one GOOD impulse leads to his downfall
- Represents SOCIETY'S FAILURES — a man who prefers jail to life on the streets
- Not EVIL — just DESPERATE
The Cop (Police Officer)
- Symbolises the LAW
- IRONIC — he ARRESTS Soapy only when Soapy does NOTHING wrong
- He is BLIND to Soapy's attempts to get arrested
- BUT he sees Soapy when Soapy is trying to be good
Minor Characters
- The RESTAURANT manager — throws Soapy out
- The UMBRELLA owner — lets Soapy keep the umbrella (does not cooperate)
- The CHURCH singer — sings the anthem that changes Soapy's heart
4. Story Summary
SOAPY is homeless. Winter is coming. His usual shelter — Madison Square Park — will be too COLD. He needs a warm place. JAIL is his only option. He must be ARRESTED.
Soapy's Failed Attempts
Attempt 1 — Restaurant. Soapy goes to an expensive restaurant, orders a big meal, and plans to say he cannot pay. The waiter sees his WORN CLOTHES and throws him out before he can eat.
Attempt 2 — Break a window. Soapy breaks a shop window. He waits for the cop. The cop says: 'Breaking windows? He would run. He is not the one.' The cop DOES NOT ARREST him.
Attempt 3 — Harass a woman. Soapy tries to harass a woman on the street. The woman is actually a PROSTITUTE looking for customers — she responds ENTHUSIASTICALLY. Soapy flees.
Attempt 4 — Disturb the peace. Soapy shouts and dances like a drunk. The cop ignores him — 'It is only a college boy celebrating.'
Attempt 5 — Steal an umbrella. Soapy takes a man's umbrella. The man admits the umbrella is NOT his — he took it from somewhere too. He calls a cop, but the cop LAUGHS at Soapy.
The Turning Point. Soapy passes a CHURCH. An ANTHEM (hymn) floats out. The music TOUCHES his heart. He decides to REFORM. He will get a job. He will be a GOOD MAN.
The Twist. A cop taps his shoulder. 'What are you doing here?' Soapy is ARRESTED for LOITERING. He is sentenced to THREE MONTHS in jail.
5. Themes
1. Irony of Fate
Soapy desperately wants jail but CANNOT get arrested. When he FINALLY decides to be good, he IS arrested. Fate is CRUEL and IRONIC.
2. Social Injustice
Soapy prefers JAIL to freedom. This is a SCATHING indictment of society. How bad must the streets be that a man would choose prison?
3. The Criminal Justice System
The system is ARBITRARY. Real criminals go free. Soapy, trying to reform, is punished. The cops are INCOMPETENT and UNFAIR.
4. Poverty and Desperation
Soapy is not LAZY — he is DESPERATE. Homelessness is not a CHOICE but a TRAP.
5. Redemption and Its Failure
Soapy has a GENUINE moment of change. The anthem moves him. But society does not ALLOW his redemption. The system CRUSHES his hope.
6. Appearance vs Reality
Soapy LOOKS like a criminal when he is DESPERATE. When he is TRULY reformed, he LOOKS suspicious. Appearances deceive.
6. Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Anthem | A religious song, hymn |
| Cop | A police officer (slang) |
| Homeless | Without a home |
| Arrest | To take someone into police custody |
| Reform | To change for the better |
| Loitering | Standing around idly, without purpose |
| Sentence | A punishment given by a court |
| Desperate | Having little hope |
| Irony | A situation where the opposite of what is expected happens |
| Warden | The head of a prison |
| Poverty | The state of being poor |
| Harass | To bother or annoy someone |
7. Important Quotes
- 'Soapy wanted to be arrested. He tried everything. Nothing worked.'
- 'Winter was coming. Soapy needed a warm place. Jail was his only hope.'
- 'The anthem touched his heart. He would reform. He would be a good man.'
- 'The cop tapped his shoulder. 'What are you doing here?''
- 'Three months in jail. That was his sentence.'
8. Literary Devices
Situational Irony (THE device)
The story is BUILT on irony. Everything goes AGAINST expectation:
- Soapy tries to get arrested — FAILS
- Soapy decides to reform — ARRESTED
- The cop ignores REAL crimes — arrests INNOCENT man
Dramatic Irony
The READER knows Soapy wants to be arrested. The characters (cop, waiter, umbrella man) do NOT. This creates TENSION and HUMOUR.
Symbolism
- The Anthem: HOPE, REDEMPTION, the possibility of CHANGE
- Jail: WARMTH, SAFETY, SECURITY (for Soapy) — IRONIC because jail is punishment
- Winter: THREAT, DANGER, DEATH
- Madison Square Park: HOME (for the homeless) — IRONIC
Foreshadowing
The anthem is foreshadowed by the setting (winter, cold). Change is COMING.
Contrast
- Soapy's attempts (comic) vs Soapy's life (tragic)
- What Soapy WANTS (jail) vs what he GETS (jail, but for different reason)
- The anthem (beautiful) vs Soapy's situation (ugly)
Ironic Tone
O. Henry writes with WRY HUMOUR even about DESPERATE subjects. The tone is both FUNNY and SAD.
O. Henry Twist
The SURPRISE ENDING is O. Henry's trademark. The story REVERSES direction in the last paragraph.
Third-person Limited Narration
We see Soapy's thoughts but no one else's. We know his FRUSTRATION and DESPERATION.
9. Short Answer Questions
1. Why did Soapy want to go to jail? Winter was coming. Soapy was homeless and had no warm place to stay. Jail would give him WARMTH and FOOD.
2. List two of Soapy's failed attempts to get arrested. (Any two): Ordering a meal without paying, breaking a window, harassing a woman, disturbing the peace, stealing an umbrella.
3. What made Soapy decide to reform? He heard an ANTHEM (a hymn) from a church. The music touched his heart and made him want to change his life.
4. What did Soapy plan to do after reforming? He planned to get a JOB, work hard, and become a RESPECTABLE member of society.
5. Why was Soapy finally arrested? He was arrested for LOITERING (standing around with no purpose) — not for any of his actual attempts to break the law.
10. Long Answer Questions
6. Explain the irony in 'The Cop and the Anthem'.
Step 1 — The central irony. Soapy WANTS to be arrested. He COMMITS small crimes. He is NOT arrested. When he decides to be GOOD, he IS arrested. The opposite of what should happen, happens.
Step 2 — The police irony. The police are SUPPOSED to catch criminals. They fail to catch Soapy committing crimes. But they DO catch him when he is INNOCENT.
Step 3 — The life irony. Soapy thinks JAIL is better than FREEDOM. This is the CRUELEST irony — a society where a man prefers prison to the streets.
Step 4 — The redemption irony. Soapy's moment of REDEMPTION leads to his PUNISHMENT. The system PUNISHES his desire to be good.
Step 5 — O. Henry's message. Life is IRONIC and UNFAIR. Good intentions do not lead to good outcomes. The universe does not CARE about our plans.
7. What does the story reveal about society's treatment of the homeless?
Step 1 — Invisibility. Soapy is INVISIBLE to society. No one CARES that he is homeless and desperate.
Step 2 — Criminalisation. The homeless are seen as CRIMINALS. Soapy expects to be arrested — being homeless is ALMOST a crime.
Step 3 — No support. There is no SHELTER, no HELP for Soapy. His ONLY option for warmth is JAIL.
Step 4 — Cruelty of the system. When Soapy wants to REFORM, the system ARRESTS him. Society REJECTS redemption.
Step 5 — O. Henry's critique. The story is a SHARP critique of how society ABANDONS the poor and homeless. A hundred years later, the problem remains.
8. Describe the character of Soapy.
Soapy is COMPLEX. He is a CRIMINAL (he tries to break the law) but not EVIL. He is DESPERATE, not bad.
He is RESOURCEFUL — he comes up with FIVE different plans to get arrested. He is PERSISTENT — he does not give up after failures.
He is also CAPABLE of CHANGE. The anthem moves him GENUINELY. He WANTS to be better.
But he is also a VICTIM — of poverty, of society, of FATE. His desire for reform is CRUSHED by an unfair system.
Soapy is TRAGIC, not comic. His 'crimes' are pathetic attempts at survival. O. Henry makes us LAUGH with Soapy's failures but CRY at his situation.
11. O. Henry's Twist Endings
'The Cop and the Anthem' is a PERFECT example of O. Henry's famous TWIST ENDINGS. Characteristics:
- The story takes an UNEXPECTED turn in the LAST PARAGRAPH
- The twist is SURPRISING but BELIEVABLE
- The twist REVEALS a deeper truth about the characters
- The twist often carries IRONIC or TRAGIC force
Other famous O. Henry twist endings:
- 'The Gift of the Magi' — couple sells their treasures for gifts
- 'The Last Leaf' — the leaf that does not fall
- 'The Ransom of Red Chief' — kidnappers pay to get rid of the boy
12. The Anthem (Symbolism)
The ANTHEM (a hymn or religious song) is the TURNING POINT of the story:
- Represents HOPE, REDEMPTION, SPIRITUAL RENEWAL
- Soapy is MOVED to change — he wants to be good
- The irony: this GOOD MOMENT leads to his ARREST
- The anthem's BEAUTY makes Soapy's FATE more TRAGIC
- Even the most beautiful music cannot save Soapy
13. Modern Relevance
- Homelesness remains a MAJOR problem in cities worldwide
- The 'criminalisation of homelessness' continues — laws against sleeping in public
- Many homeless people PREFER jail to shelters
- Society STILL fails to provide ADEQUATE SUPPORT
14. Conclusion
'The Cop and the Anthem' is a MASTERPIECE of irony. O. Henry takes a COMIC situation — a man trying to get arrested — and turns it into a TRAGIC commentary on society. Soapy's failures are funny. His reform is beautiful. His arrest is devastating.
The story works because O. Henry makes us CARE about Soapy. A homeless man in New York becomes a SYMBOL of all the people society has failed. The IRONY is not just clever writing — it is a WEAPON against injustice.
For AP Board students: focus on IRONY (three types), Soapy's CHARACTER, the TWIST ENDING, and O. Henry's SOCIAL COMMENTARY.
'The Cop and the Anthem' — Soapy wanted jail so badly he broke the law to get it. When he finally chose to be free, they locked him up. That is life. That is O. Henry.
