书评

Based on the whole text, the author's humor is present in various ways, one of which is through irrationality during the development of plots. Soapy, the vagrant who has stirred up trouble for six times, is eager to go to prison. But he is always out of luck and get policeman's forgiveness. When Soapy is touched by the anthem and wants to be a good citizen, he is arrested for groundless reasons. This way is a kind of black humor manifesting social reality profoundly. We can see something gloomy, desperate,but simultaneously, we can't help laughing when reading the vivid description Once, Soapy wants to reach his goal by molesting a woman, Soapy straightened the lady missionary’s ready-made tie, dragged his shrinking cuffs into the open, set his hat at a killing cant and sidled toward the young women(20).but the seeming virtuous and quiet woman begin to seduce him in reverse.“Sure, Mike,” she said joyfully, “if you’ll blow me to a pail of suds. I’d have spoke to you sooner, but the cop was watching.”With the young woman playing the clinging ivy to his oak Soapy (22).Besides, Soapy steals an umbrella from a neatly dressed customer, but the umbrella is ill-gotten originally.''Of course,''said the umbrella. man''that is—well, you know how these mistakes occur—I—if it’s your umbrella I hope you’ll excuse me—I picked it up this morning in a restaurant—If you recognise it as yours, why—I hope you’ll—''(31).So the modest and lady and gentleman turn out to be someone that we cannot imagine, which is not rational. Nonetheless, as a matter of fact, they just hide their dirty acts under a beautiful veil and a small sign can indicate a great trend, we can learn that the so-called noble upper class goes more serious than the two. These plots reveals awful mood of that capitalist society.