Essay Sample: On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter

An important event in the short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” by Evan Hunter, is how a sixteen year old boy, Andy, bleeds to death after being stabbed by another rival gang. He realizes his mistake and learns that his identity is the cause of no one helping him. This short story is based on how Andy faces consequences of joining a gang at a young age and couldn’t take off the identity that he wanted to as his last wishes before he died.

Andy was determined that he did not want to die as a Royal, but rather as himself. It took him a while to realize what he had done to himself and try to get himself out of it. It was too long before he realized that no one had helped him during a time like this. When Freddie and Angela came into the alleyway to see what had happened to Andy, they had refused to help.  “I don't know. I don't know. I don't want to get mixed up in this. He's a Royal. We help him, and the Guardians will be down on our necks. I don't want to get mixed up in this, Angela.” This signifies that because of Andy's Royal jacket, Freddie and Angela were scared that something could happen to them if they help him. Andy was very determined to take off that jacket because he didn’t want to get judged for being part of a gang. “It seemed very important to him that he take off the purple jacket. He was very close to dying, and when they found him, he did not want them to say, “Oh, it's a Royal.” The reason why Andy behaved like this was because when no one helped him in the alleyway it made him realize that his life has finished just because of a jacket.