The Cop And The Anthem Analysis

The Cop and the Anthem by O. Henry shows the journey of how Soapy finally ends up in the comfort of the Blackwell jail. Underneath the storytelling, O. Henry portrays the unfortunate reality of the New York during this time period.

From the onset of the story, there is a very formal and elaborate approach in which O. Henry describes Soapy’s preparation for the winter. We are introduced to the controversial idea that Soapy has of spending his winter in the comfort and safety of the jail rather than live on the streets. This decision by Soapy in itself is already an ironic decision and shows some sort of failure by society: Soapy’s life living independently is worse than living in jail. Furthermore, in this situation, by conducting an illegal act will not punish Soapy but actually reward him through jailing. In some sense, this theme of unfitting consequences for Soapy’s actions is repeated through this short story.
As before, through the storytelling, the definition of legality comes into question through each of Soapy’s experiences. Soapy is first kicked out of the first restaurant by attempting a dine-and-dash and his other exploits ended similarly by lack of empathy or treating Soapy as if he is not even worth convicting. The young woman he tried to harass seemed unfazed by his tactics and others waved him off as an actor. Soapy is ignored as a culprit for throwing a rock through a store and he is also is thrown out of another diner rather than sent to jail. This inability for Soapy to even purposely and successful break the law shows that there are very gray lines in terms of what society deems as appropriate. This irony showing that Soapy cannot purposely get caught underscores how laws are placed in