The Cop and the Anthem Dreams, Hopes, and Plans Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (paragraph)

Quote #4

And the anthem that the organist played cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for he had known it well in the days when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars. (41)

The key word as far as this theme is concerned is "ambitions." For the first time we see that Soapy used to have bigger goals than survival.

Quote #5

He viewed with swift horror the pit into which he had tumbled, the degraded days, unworthy desires, dead hopes, wrecked faculties, and base motives that made up his existence. (42)

To some degree or other, Soapy's goals and motivations led him to the place he is today, a place he suddenly finds horrifying. His goal of getting thrown in jail suddenly seems really awful.

Quote #6

An instantaneous and strong impulse moved him to battle with his desperate fate. He would pull himself out of the mire; he would make a man of himself again; he would conquer the evil that had taken possession of him. There was time; he was comparatively young yet; he would resurrect his old eager ambitions and pursue them without faltering. (43)

It won't be easy for Soapy to change—he speaks of battle, and evil. But now that Soapy has better goals and plans he'll have a decent chance anyway.