19. Summary of the lesson "The Cop and the Anthem"

"The Cop and the Anthem" is a short story written by O. Henry. The story was about a homeless man named Soapy. Soapy was staying at a park in Madison Square. As the winter approached, Soapy thought of finding a better place to stay. Soapy desired to get three months of food and stay on Blackwell's Island. So he thought of different plans to get caught by the policeman.

Soapy's first plan was to have a delicious dinner at a high-class restaurant and then say that he had no money. With this plan in mind, Soapy came to a restaurant where only the wealthy people came every evening. Unfortunately, the head waiter noticed Soapy's shattered shoes and sent him out. As a result, his first attempt failed.

Then Soapy left Broadway. Soapy noticed a shop on the corner of Sixth Avenue. He thought of executing his second plan. So he took a cobblestone and threw it at the glass door. People came rushing, and a cop was the first one to arrive. He inquired who had done that. Soapy voluntarily came forward and confessed that he had broken the glass. But the policeman refused to arrest because those who commit wrong would not surrender in front of the cops. Finally, his second attempt also got failed.

 

Later, Soapy saw an ordinary restaurant across the street. He thought of executing his third plan. So he entered the restaurant, but no one was bothered about his broken shoes and torn clothes. He ordered food and ate well. Finally, he told the waiter he had no money to pay the bill. Two of the waiters threw him out of the restaurant. He had failed in his third attempt.

Soapy made his fourth plan by pretending to be a drunkard. But, unfortunately, the cop misunderstood Soapy as a college boy, and hence he left him.

Later, Soapy saw an umbrella man buying a newspaper. He then thought of executing his fifth plan. Soapy took the umbrella and strolled from there. The umbrella man followed him and said to Soapy that it was his umbrella. But Soapy refused to give the umbrella and told him to call a cop. However, the man refused to call the cop because the umbrella did not belong to him. Later Soapy felt sad and dejected because all his attempts had failed.

Finally, Soapy thought of returning to the park. At that time, he saw an old church, and it was his childhood home. Soapy heard a "Sabbath anthem" coming out through the window. The anthem had made a remarkable transformation in his life. The anthem made him recall his past life. At that moment, Soapy decided to fight against the challenges of life. Most noteworthy, Soapy decided to find work from the very next day. Just then, a cop came there, and he asked Soapy what he was doing there. Soapy then began to argue with him. However, the cop took him in front of the judge the next morning. The judge gave him three months of prison on Blackwell's Island.