Everyone wants to be seen as ‘cool’ by joining a youth gang; however, one can fall victim to the consequences. In Evan Hunter’s “On the Sidewalk Bleeding,” Andy, the main character, has become a victim of his circumstances. This is demonstrated by Andy showing traits of naivety, shame, and irresponsibility exhibiting the humanity behind his character. Andy joined the Royals as a priority, something he found important for his self-image; he made a naive decision leading to his circumstances. Andy was stabbed by an opposing gang member due to his association with the Royals. It is explained “Even in his pain, there had been some sort of pride in knowing he was a Royal. Now there was no pride at all. With the rain… with the blood pouring steadily…He …show more content…
Maybe she thought he wasn't coming back. Maybe she thought he'd cut out for good... He thought of her face, the brown eyes and the jet-black hair… Someday he would marry Laura. Someday he would marry her, and they would have a lot of kids, and then they would get out of the neighbourhood. They would move to a clean project…When they were married, they had kids (Hunter 1-2).
In his dying moments, he reflects on the dreams he wanted to achieve with his girlfriend, Laura. He did remove his Royals jacket only when he realised no one would help him and didn’t want to be identified as only “a Royal”. Not thinking about the Royals; instead, about his dreams. The Royals had a negative reputation with the public, but would not give up this image for the sake of Laura. From the reader's perspective, he was irresponsible due to wanting to juggle a peaceful and violent life. Andy lived a violent life joining the Royals but wanted to live a peaceful life with Laura. His irresponsibility is shown by Andy deciding to become a Royal rather than live to his true self alongside Laura. Through this story, Andy goes through a difficult predicament and reflects on his circumstances. The story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” by Evan Hunter displays how the main character reacts and deals with the circumstances of his actions. Andy exhibits traits of naivety, shame, and irresponsibility. Joining