24 pages • 48 minutes read
O. HenryThe Cop and the Anthem
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1904A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context: O. Henry
O. Henry is the pen name of William Sidney Porter (later changed to William Sydney Porter), who was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1862. Porter lived his earliest years during the tumultuous US Civil War. Porter’s mother died giving birth to his younger sibling when Porter was only three years old, a tragedy that led the family to move in with Porter’s grandmother.
Although Porter began writing during his bachelor years, it wasn’t until he was married and a father that he landed his first regular writing gig as a columnist for the Houston Post. However, it was also during this time that he found himself in trouble with the law, as his former employer, the First National Bank of Austin, charged him with embezzling funds. To avoid jail time, Porter fled the country and holed up in Honduras for six months, during which he wrote one of his most famous works: Cabbages and Kings. Meanwhile, Porter’s wife was in Austin, dying of tuberculosis. Upon learning of her condition, Porter decided to travel back to Texas, say goodbye to his wife, and turn himself in.
At his trial on February 17, 1898, Porter was found guilty of embezzling $854.08 and served three years of prison time for his crime. During his stint in the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, he established many pen names, the most famous of which is O. Henry. After his release, his writing career flourished, and he published “The Cop and the Anthem” among hundreds of other short stories.
“The Cop and the Anthem” reflects many of O. Henry’s common stylistic and thematic choices, including the use of New York City as the setting, the inclusion of working-class characters such as waiters and police officers (as well as the formerly incarcerated protagonist), and an unexpected twist ending.
Historical Context: New York City in the Early 20th Century
1904, the year when O. Henry published “The Cop and the Anthem,” was a pivotal time in American history. The shift from a predominantly rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrial one was well underway, especially in New York City—mythologized as a place of opportunity, endless jobs, and a real chance of achieving “Freedom” and the American Dream. However, the economic transition also meant growing numbers of men like Soapy: looking for work, but often falling into the trap of lawlessness to score a meal or a place to sleep.
The early 1900s were also a time of widespread progressive reform, and Blackwell Island was a prime example of the need for such change. Constructed as a workhouse in 1852, the facility first functioned as “an institution for punishment of petty violators, many of whom were classified as habitual ‘drunks and disorderlies,’ including several who virtually became permanent residents even though the usual stays were counted in days” (“Before Riker’s, Blackwell’s was DOC’s Island Home.” New York Correction History Society). The prison faced increased scrutiny around the turn of the 20th century due to allegations of poor conditions—e.g., overcrowding. However, efforts to address these concerns were mostly cosmetic.
Also relevant to “The Cop and the Anthem” is the rapid growth and change occurring throughout New York City. The NYC subway, for example, opened in 1904—the same year this story was published. This context is important, as it illustrates the dichotomy of Soapy’s world: one of seemingly endless opportunity and progress, but also one where men like him, in need of work and a second chance, were a dime a dozen and often not granted the opportunity to prove themselves.
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