On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter

On the Sidewalk Bleeding Critical Essay Marianne La precise The story On the sidewalk release by Evan Hunter deals with the issue of identity through the central character Andy, a young gang member who struggles with his identity as his death draws near. A young boy called Andy who left a nightclub to go and get cigarettes. He started walking through the alley when suddenly he got stabbed. As he got stabbed he heard a voice saying Thats for you Royal Andy had always been proud to be a Royal because the Royals and the guardians were two of the biggest and he was a Royal. Now as he lay dying on the sidewalk with the rain surrounding him, he thought of being a Royal notwithstanding now all he wanted to be was Andy. It is evident that Andy had felt very proud to be a member of the Royals The Royals and the Guardians, two of the biggest. He was a Royal there had been meaning to the title. I weigh Andy was too involved in the Royals to understand that it was only a gang name and his in vigoration was ending at sixteen because of it.Andy decided to join the gang in the first place because it made him powerful, it made him feel like he was somebody. The consequence of his pride was shown when it said Even in his pain, there had been some sort of pride in knowing he was a Royal This tells the reader that he didnt regret ever becoming a Royal. A young person like Andy would join a gang so that they would feel refuge from other gangs. Additionally, if they were in a gang they would feel important to be a member of that gang as it would give them a sense of belonging. later Andy was stabbed and he realized that he was going to die, he began to resent his identity as a Royal and just wanted to be known as Andy. Im Andy he screamed wordlessly, Im Andy. As Andy lay there dying, alone in the dark he wanted to sh bulge out out Hey, Im alive Hey look at me Im alive foolt you know Im alive? Dont you know I exist? Andy was so frustrated and confused. He felt very weak and tired. As every second went by, Andy got more and more weaker.Andys identity as a Royal not only got him stabbed it also prevented people from helping him as they walked past. An example of this was when Angela and Freddie came along and they saw him on the pavement hurt. They were going to hep him but as soon as they realised that he was a Royal, they quickly changed their minds. They said if we get a cop, the Guardians leave find out who. I thought this was very cowardly and selfish of them to leave him there, dying just because they were scared.Andy knew he was at deaths door but he didnt want them to find him and say oh hes a Royal So with great difficulty and determination, he rolled over onto his back. He felt the pain tearing at his stomach when he moved. He lay struggling with the shiny, wet jacket. Pain ripped fire across his body whenever he moved. He squirmed and fought and twisted until one arm was free and then the other. Taking this purple jacket off with the lette ring on the back that read THE ROYALS was very important to Andy because this jacket had ended his life at only sixteen years old.The final part of this story was very sad because Andy died. Andys young lady found him first, but when he did not answer her, she ran until she found a cop. The first thing the cop said when he looked at Andys assassinated body was, A Royal, huh? So Andy didnt even get his final wish, which was to be remembered as just Andy. By reading this story it has made me think about my own identity and I have realized how important it is to keep out of trouble. As I most definitely do not want to be in the same situation as Andy was.