THE COP AND THE ANTHEM'S Summary

THE COP AND THE ANTHEM

- O.Henry

O Henry is the pen name of American writer William Sydney Porter. Porter’s 400 short stories are known for their wit, word play, characterization and the clever use of twist endings. O Henry stories are famous for their surprise endings, to the point that such an ending is often referred as an “O Henry ending”.
       
 Soapy is a young man. He has no house and job of his own. In summer he sleeps on the pavements or in the parks. But now he is worried of coming cold winter and he believes that he was to suffer from bitter cold. He was aimless. Finally he realised to save himself from the cold. He has no other option. Hence he decided to go his winter home (Blackwell's Island prison). He believes that if he can manage to go to prison he will be sure of food and bed for the next three months. So, he tries his best to get himself arrested.

    As a first attempt to get arrested, he enters a posh restaurant. He thought that there he would eat good dinner. After completion of good dinner he reveals that he would not have money to pay the bill. Then they would handed him over to the police.

    But the moment he enters the door, looking at his broken old shoes and torn clothes. The head waiter turned him out of the restaurant.

    As an another attempt of his journey to prison, he started shouting in the streets. But the policeman excuse him saying that he is a college gay and has every order shout.
As the first two attempts were successful, Soapy throws a stone at a shop with a glass window, bright with electric lights. Then immediately a police man came there and enquired the man who had broken the window.

    Soapy came forward saying that he had thrown the stone. But the cop refused to believe Soapy. The police said that a man who broke the window never stayed there to be arrested.

    With these two incidents Soapy is greatly disappointed. Later, he went to an ordinary hotel where he had a big dinner. After he refused to pay the bill because he did not have money, but he asked them to call the cop. Then the waiters beat him hard and thrown out of the restaurant. Thus arrest seems to be an umbrella, but the umbrella man asked Soapy to take it if it was his. Actually it is not his.
At last Soapy reached a park opposite it there was an old  church. The sweet music of the church bells and the anthem played by organist bring about a sudden and wonderful change to his soul. Then he decided to live honestly. He wanted to be a man of himself. He will find work and will be somebody in the world. But suddenly a policeman appeared there and arrested him.

    The Magistrate gave judgment saying that he would be sentenced for next three months. He was arrested for his overstay in the park.

    So as long as Soapy wanted to get arrested himself but he was not arrested. But when he regrets his past and decides to live honestly, he was arrested. That is the irony of life.