Reality cannot be avoided or escaped. Many people would rather ignore than accept it. Being in denial is easier because you don't have to come to terms with all the wrong you have done in your life. In the story "On the Sidewalk Bleeding" by Evan Hunter, Andy embodies the fact that there will be a time in your life where facing reality can either bring you peace or destroy you. The story uses various techniques to convey this message, a major one being repetition.
While others may face a bad situation head on, Andy remains in denial for quite some time. As Andy lies on the ground, he won't even entertain the notion that he might be dying. He hides behind the fact that this is a commonality. "No, he thought, I can't be dying, not from a little cut. Guys get cut all the time in rumbles.
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Andy does not feel as though he should die yet; he had only just started living his life. "He felt all at once as if he had never seen anything, never been anywhere," (5.11.2-3). Andy acknowledges that he has not lived his life to the fullest. The repetition used emphasized his ignorance of what the world has to offer. He is having regrets because all he knew was his life in the Bronx, with rumbles and jumps being his only reality. He did not know how it felt to live somewhere that was not affected by the influence of a gang. For this reason, the repetition emphasizes that Andy is dying young without knowing all the good the world has to offer.
In the story "On the Sidewalk Bleeding" by Evan Hunter, Andy has reached a point in his life where he is in denial, and accepting reality can either make or break him. The use of repetition in this story emphasizes Andy being in denial, finally accepting reality, and how that decision affected him. Unlike Andy, however, you don't need to be on the brink of death. Nonetheless, if everyone faced reality, rather than beat around the bush, the world can move at a much faster