3. Introduction

"The Cop and the Anthem" is a humorous short story written by O. Henry. He was an American short story writer. The story was written in December \(1904\). It was considered one of the notable works of O. Henry. The story was initially published in the weekly edition of the "New York World". Then, it got republished in the \(1906\) anthology "The Four Million". Later "The Cop and the Anthem" had been taken as a short film, and it was named "Trying to Get Arrested".

"The Cop and the Anthem" is a short story set in New York City. The story narrates the incidents or events of one night and the following morning in Soapy's life. The major themes of the story are class conflict, freedom, and hope. The story was also translated into other languages like Spanish, Japanese, and French.