The stories “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” by Evan Hunter and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula LeGuin have the common theme of lack of compassion. There are many different kinds of compassion, or lack thereof conveyed in these two stories. The different types of compassion (or lack thereof) mentioned in these stories include: self, intrapersonal, and general. Self-compassion is entirely dependent on your own thoughts and how you view yourself. Intrapersonal compassion is an interaction between people, when one person is affected by the other person’s actions, thoughts, and words. Intrapersonal compassion is semi-dependent on someone else. General compassion is dependent on society’s opinion as a whole. Although the amount of compassion is dependent on society’s view, in the end it depends on yourself. Whatever your decision is, it will be impacted by what society will think of you. Even though both compassion and lack thereof are significant in both stories, in the end one is more prominent. Lack of compassion is evident in both stories, with many similarities present. In “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” there is a quote that proves Andy’s lack of compassion for himself. “Even in his pain, even as he collapsed, there had been some sort of pride in knowing …show more content…
The lack of intrapersonal compassion is shown through those who find Andy injured but do not go for help, and the citizens of Omelas who have seen the child but do nothing. In “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” there is a significant lack of general compassion, as no one seems to have pity on Andy simply because he was a gang member. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” this same disregard is shown toward the suffering child, as it is instinctual for the citizens to look out for themselves first. Unlike self or intrapersonal, general compassion is not present in either of the