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The Cop And The Anthem. O Henry Story Reintroduced
P. S. Remesh Chandran
Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum
Article Title Image By Lechenie-Narkomanii. Graphics: Adobe SP.
There are so many ways to get into a prison but all failed for Soapy.
It was then that the police arrested him for entering an unguarded church at night!
Written on: September 1990
First published on: 27 March 2020
Tags:
American Writers, Free Student Notes, Food Shelter In Prison, How To Get Into Prison, O Henry, Short Stories Reintroduced, Surprise End Stories, The Cop And The Anthem, Vagabonds, Winter In America,
About the Author P. S. Remesh Chandran:
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/psremeshchandra.trivandrum
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSRemeshChandra
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/bloombooks/videos
Blog: http://sahyadribooks-remesh.blogspot.com/
Site: https://sites.google.com/site/timeuponmywindowsill/
E-Mail: bloombookstvm@gmail.com
Post: P. S. Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books, Trivandrum, Padmalayam, Nanniyode, Pacha Post, Trivandrum- 695562, Kerala State, South India.
The Cop And The Anthem. O Henry Story Reintroduced
P. S. Remesh Chandran
Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum
The short stories of O. Henry have humanity and humour in them. The hero in the story wants to get into prison somehow to spend the winter there. At least he will get free government food and shelter and pass the horrible winter there. But all his attempts to get into a prison fail. Then he hears a church anthem, decides to leave his criminal life behind, and enters the church at night. He had decided to become a good man. But then he was arrested by a police man for trespassing into a church.
There are so many ways to get into a prison but all failed for Soapy.
Soapy, the hero in the story spends his time wandering through the city streets of New York. At night the park bench is his bed. It is winter arriving and he will not have shelter for three months. He cannot walk the streets during the day and sleep on a park bench at night for the next three months of the winter. A prison is the only solution. This makes Soapy think of going to prison someway.
Soapy tried many ways for getting into prison. He did some petty crimes which the police minded not. He tried to enter a modern hotel to order costly food without having money to pay but he was not even permitted entry. He was turned back at the entrance itself because the poor condition of his shoes and trousers had betrayed him. Then he smashed a glittering shop window to pieces and remained there for a long time for the police to come and arrest him. But the people there told the police it would not be him who broke the glass because he had not run away. It was another man who had been running after a car who was caught for smashing the glass. Then he entered another hotel and ordered all that was there to order. After the sumptuous meal, when he told them he had no money to pay, they did not summon the police and hand him over but simply threw him out into the foot path with a laugh. So all his attempts to enter a prison failed and he cursed his fate.
It was then that the police arrested him for entering an unguarded church at night!
Soapy was walking along the road towards his usual park bench which was his night’s resting place, thinking about all the troubles he took for getting into a prison and idle away the winter. Suddenly the peal of church bells and music reached his ears. He remembered his childhood when he would go to church with parents holding his hands. He was impressed, and decided to leave his criminal life behind. He decided to find a job and lead a decent life. He decided to enter the church, something which he had not done for many years in his adult life. It was then that a police cop arrested him for entering an unguarded church at night! The irony and humour is ‘we do not get what we want, and when we have lost interest in something, we get it.’ This is the moral significance of the story The Cop And The Anthem.
Written on: September 1990
First published on: 27 March 2020
Tags:
American Writers, Free Student Notes, Food Shelter In Prison, How To Get Into Prison, O Henry, Short Stories Reintroduced, Surprise End Stories, The Cop And The Anthem, Vagabonds, Winter In America,
About the Author P. S. Remesh Chandran:
00. Author Profile Of P S Remesh Chandran By Sahyadri Archives.
Editor
of Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum. Author of several
books in English and in Malayalam. And also author of Swan: The
Intelligent Picture Book. Born and brought up in the beautiful village
of Nanniyode in the Sahya Mountain Valley in Trivandrum, in Kerala.
Father British Council trained English teacher and Mother University
educated. Matriculation with distinction and Pre Degree Studies in
Science with National Merit Scholarship. Discontinued Diploma studies in
Electronics and entered politics. Unmarried and single.
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/psremeshchandra.trivandrum
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSRemeshChandra
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/bloombooks/videos
Blog: http://sahyadribooks-remesh.blogspot.com/
Site: https://sites.google.com/site/timeuponmywindowsill/
E-Mail: bloombookstvm@gmail.com
Post: P. S. Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books, Trivandrum, Padmalayam, Nanniyode, Pacha Post, Trivandrum- 695562, Kerala State, South India.
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