preview

Character And Conflict In The Cop And The Anthem, By Ray Bradbury

Decent Essays

In both short stories, “The Cop and the Anthem” By O. Henry and “ The Pedestrian” By Ray Bradbury, both authors used character and conflict. in the short stories, the characters used have a lonely personality to them which causes conflict between misunderstood police. The conflict, both involves something or someone missing in their life, though neither do not mind and going through with life somehow. The story of “The Cop and the Anthem” is about a man named Soapy trying to figure out how to get into jail since he was homeless and need a place to go for the winter season. He tries his best to get thrown in jail but never does succeed. However, when he finally gives up, a policeman sends the homeless man to jail for the 3 months; just long enough to be saved by the brutal winter. In the story of “The Pedestrian”, Mr. Leonard Mead has no one to be with him. He drowns in his sorrows by walking on the street at night. For the past ten years, he had been walking on the same route every night. He pasts by other families’ homes and wishing he could have the same. A police car comes by and assume Mr. Leonard Mead was doing illegal actives. The car sends him to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies. Both O. Henry and Bradbury used character and conflict to communicate the theme of the short stories. The central idea of the short story, “ The Cop and the Anthem” is to let fate happen and bring you to what you desire most. O. Henry uses the literary elements, character and conflict, throughout the story. “ He was filled with sadness. He was still free. Was he going to remain free forever?” This shows the character of Soapy determine to get thrown into jail to stay away from the cold, three month winter. The conflict, preventing Soapy from succeeding for a trip to jail, was he was too desperate to go to jail, and the police did not believe him. “And Soapy, sick at heart, walked slowly away. He had failed two times.” and “ Soapy felt a hand on his arm. He looked quickly around into the broad face of a cop.‘What are you doing hanging around here?’ asked the cop. ‘Nothing,’ said Soapy. ‘You think I believe that?’ said the cop. Full of his new strength, Soapy began to argue. And it is not wise to

Get Access