Soapy sits on his bench uneasily at the thought of the winter coming as a dead leaf falls onto his lap. He is sitting on a bench at Madison Square and begins to be aware of the fact that he needs to come up with some type of way in order to figure out what he is going to do during the winter time. He’s not as fortunate as other New Yorkers that could purchase a ticket and run away to a nice warm get away for the winter. Home for Soapy was a park bench and so he thought that the Law was a lot more kind than Philanthropy because apparently in Soapy’s eyes when you receive the hands of Philanthropy you must also receive humiliation.
He felt as if it was a lot better to be a guest of the law even if it is conducted by rules. But in my opinion I think that Soapy feels and thinks this way only because he is obviously homeless and with nowhere to go or do. He presents himself as meaningless and hopeless. I don’t think that everybody would love the fact of being a guest of the Law as amazing as he sees it. To Soapy it’s his Island, his own getaway.
When the fortunate go off to Palm Beach with no hesitation, regret, or trouble. Soapy has to find a way to be able to get arrested and be on his own “island” warm and in comfort.When Soapy goes and tries to get arrested at a restaurant the waiter suspects absolutely nothing! Soapy leaves and inspects the streets for a cop somewhere, anywhere! He throws cobblestone at a restaurant window and people come out frantically in a panic suspecting what just happened. The cop closest to the event came and checked out the place searching for who was responsible.
Soapy casually goes up to the police man and ask him if he suspected that Soapy had anything to do with it. And the police man does not suspect Soapy to be capable of the event so the other police men ignore him and restart there search.They see a guy run around a corner and the cops are gone. Soapy continues walking and sees a fancy dressed man in a big coat and a silk umbrella.
Soapy sees a cop next to him and takes his chance! Soapy takes the umbrella from the man and the man responds to Soapy in curiousity for why he has taken the umbrella. They get the cops attention and that gave Soapy hope. This was his chance, but then it turns out it was not the mans original umbrella in the first place and Soapy walks off in disappointment.He continues walking going further and further away from the cops still trying to get people’s attention but there’s no hope.
Suddenly he stops and hears a beautiful anthem playing and this what he called a country churchyard. He leans up against the gate and listens. A sudden nerve in him sparked and he decided to give up the act of trying to get arrested just to be somewhere warm. But he decided that very moment he would make something of himself and let his life bring meaning into the world. Until he felt a grasp on his arm and all of a sudden “Three months on the Island,” said the Magistrate in the police court the next morning.
