On The Sidewalk Bleeding Identity

Self identity plays its part in the short story, On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter. Self identity refers to recognizing someone's potential and qualities as an individual, in most cases in a relation to social context. Andy, the main character, is a part of a gang called The Royals. He soon realizes that the name on the jacket that he wears around has an impact on what people think of him. In the story, Andy is stabbed by a member of another gang called, the Guardians, he lays on the sidewalk for several hours waiting for someone to help him. The short story On the Sidewalk Bleeding, the author connects a few major ideas to support the theme of self identity and gang mentality, these could be conflict, the secondary characters and how

He not portrayed as your typical gang member in doing so he author creates sympathy or empathy within the reader by showing the reader that Andy is more of a person who cares about his girlfriend, his future and the fact that his last bit of strength before he dies is to take off the gang jacket that got him stabbed in the first place. As Andy lays there dying on the sidewalk he has a few thoughts. Hes mainly focused on getting help and trying to get other people to help him but he thinks about his girlfriend Laura. “He wondered if Laura would be angry” “Andy lay there and he thought, Laura, Laura. Are you dancing” “And listened and thought: I love you Laura. Laura this is stupid, but i think maybe i'm dying” These quotes prove that andy is a sympathetic character and he cares about his girlfriend. He imagines his future while he's dying. He tells himself that he's only 16 years old and too young to die. He is angry that this had happened to him because he wanted to marry laura and spend the rest of his life with her in Bronx. Andy notices that people don't help him because he's a Royal, they see the jacket and are scared to help him. “He could only think: I WANT TO BE ANDY”. The purple jackets and the rumbles were not importants to Andy anymore and he just wanted to be known as Andy and not a Royal. “When they find him, he didn't want them to say “Oh he’s a Royal”” Andy wanted to take off the jacket, with the last of his strength and great effort he rolled over, he felt the pain of the knife wound but he took off the jacket. This is when andy realizes that the jacket creates his identity as a royal instead of just