This ending is so unfair. Just when Soapy changes his mind about spending his winter in jail, the law closes in on him. This is a classic O. Henry "twist" ending. The easiest way to look at the twist ending is like the punch line to a joke. When it's done well, it will surprise us and maybe make us think about life in a new way. It twists our brains. Twist endings usually have two other features—they are ironic and open to more than one interpretation…
Irony
As we said, twist endings are usually always ironic. Irony is when you jump to the side so your wet dog won't rub on you, but (this is the ironic part) you accidentally trip into the swimming pool instead. In "The Cop and the Anthem" the irony is this: just when Soapy realizes he wants a better life, he's arrested and sentenced to exactly what he wished for in the beginning—a three month stay in jail.
A Few Interpretations
So how, you might ask, is this open to more than one interpretation? Well, some readers will think that Soapy will continue on with this cycle—summers on his bench in Madison Square and winters in the prison on Blackwell's Island. They will imagine that Soapy's change of heart isn't permanent. They might say that when the weather is warm and Soapy doesn't have to worry about shelter anymore, he'll forget about his change of plans.
Other readers might say, no, Soapy's "change" was "wrought […] in his soul" (42) and, therefore, probably, permanent. The word "wrought" is, believe it or not, a past tense form of the word "work." When you "work" on metal by beating or hammering it, it is wrought . This word suggests that although Soapy's change is sudden, it is the result of a lot of work done in the heart. Who is to say that such work couldn't be done in a short moment? If the change is real, Soapy will be able to begin changing his life while in prison, and then pursue his ambitions in three months when he's out.
Others might argue that Soapy's behavior in the story suggests that he has a mental illness that might prevent him from changing his life, even if he is willing to. They might point out that breaking windows and pretending to sexually harass a woman suggests that Soapy has some serious problems that a little organ music won't cure.
This is all a little tricky, since we don't know Soapy very well. How we feel about the ending will have a lot to do with how we feel about homelessness, and how we've been feeling about Soapy's actions throughout the story. What do you think—is Soapy's change permanent? Will he still want to change his life in three months? Will he be able to do it? Why do you feel this way?
Abrupt
Just one more little thing about the ending—it's abrupt. Here are the last two lines of the story:
"Then come along," said the policeman.
"Three months on the Island," said the Magistrate in the Police Court the next morning. (47-8)
It jumps from Soapy's arrest to his sentencing. Readers might at first wonder if there is an error in their copy. This abrupt turnabout right after Soapy's change of heart adds to the irony and, er, twistiness of the ending. It surprises us and catches us off-guard. This might act like a little shock to our brains, waking us up and getting us thinking.