Considering how short of a story "The Cop and the Anthem" is, we certainly get to see quite a few different classes throughout the story. Soapy's homeless existence and the money and power present in his surroundings are two extremes. Soapy is a member of a low economic class—the homeless and convicted criminal class—though it appears he used to belong to a very different class than he does now. By the end of the story, Soapy makes up his mind to change his class—he wants to be part of the working class, as well as a religious class. This points toward something that is woven into the idea of the American Dream—the idea that we have the power to attain a place in a higher class through hard work, luck, and determination.
Questions About Society and Class
- Why would Soapy rather go to jail than take charity? If you've ever given or received charity, how would you respond to Soapy?
- Why does Soapy ultimately decide to change his social and economic class?
- How does Soapy feel about money and the things it can buy? How does O. Henry get this across to the readers without directly stating it?
- Soapy has already changed social and economic classes at least once. Do you think he will be able to do so again? What does this story have to say about social mobility in the early 1900s? If you set this story in the 2000s what aspects of this theme, if any, would you need to change?
Chew on This
The story shows that beautiful music cuts through class distinctions—it can touch you and change you regardless of whether you are rich or poor.
By contrasting the wealthy area of New York where Soapy lives (on a park bench), O. Henry suggests that Soapy's homelessness is motivated in part by a desire to show his contempt for the trappings of wealth.