Short Story Analysis:

Short Story Analysis:

“On the Sidewalk Bleeding” By: Evan Hunter

1.     Who? – Andy

2.     Identify the main character – Andy 

3.     Identify the minor characters – Laura, Freddie & Angela

4.     Who is the “perpetrator”? – The drunk man mentioned on page 2 of the short story

6.     Could the Victim also be responsible for what happened in the end? – Yes, he is responsible for the ending because when Laura calls the cops Andy is still wearing his Royals jacket with his name on it therefore, he was identified as a Royal. The cops did not hesitate to believe Laura they said “A Royal, huh?” If he had not been wearing the jacket, he would not have been stabbed.

Who are the rival gangs? Name: Royals and the

What? Plot line – summarize the events of the story in a short form

First, Andy is laying on the sidewalk bleeding in the rain. He is wearing a bright purple jacket and on the back of the jacket it says “THE ROYALS”. On the front of his jacket just over his heart it says his name printed with black thread. It says “Andy”.

Next, Andy realizes that he is dying when he attempts to get help and does not receive any. Andy wondered if Laura would be angry. He originally left to get a pack of cigarettes but never returned. Then, Andy heard footsteps at the other end of the alley. He saw the couple coming into the alley running from the rain. Andy watched them run into the alley laughing together and then duck into the doorway about ten feet from him. He stood there and hungered for Laura’s lips as the couple kissed.

Then, Andy realized that maybe he was dying but said to himself “I can’t be dying, not from a little street rumble, not from just being cut.” Next, Angela heard a sound and asked Freddie to go and check. Along came Freddie over to Andy, finally somebody has noticed him! They asked Andy if he was okay. Angela said “let’s get out of here” but Freddie continued to find out what was wrong. Angela and Freddie wanted to be healers but were afraid of getting caught up in the ‘Royals’ gang or even getting caught so they left.

Finally, Laura found him. The jacket only had one meaning now, and that was very obvious. If Andy was not wearing the jacket he would not have been stabbed. The cops continuously told Laura that Andy was dead, he was going to die at any minute. She tried her best to tell them who he was. Laura found Andy in the doorway past midnight and left a dance for him when she found him. She ran until she found a cop. The cop took out his black pad and he flipped it open to blank page and begun writing. “A Royal”, he said. Then he began writing.

Where? Setting: The story occurred in a city down in an alley on a sidewalk in an alley in the pouring rain at night. A boy by the name of Andy was laying on the sidewalk bleeding in the rain. When Andy was trying to receive help from others around him he failed at doing so because, he was dying and had no voice. He was wearing a jacket that read ‘THE ROYALS’ with his name on the back. The Royal was not a good thing and this got him into a lot of trouble in the end.

Why? The reasons: The cause of the conflict is that Andy was wearing clothing that related to a gang and therefore caused him some problems and caused his death. Due to this there was a bad effect which was the fact that Andy no longer had a life ahead of him. Everything he had planned was never going to happen from the moment he was stabbed. He wore a Jacket with the name of a gang printed on it along with his name. In the end, his wife found him and reported it to the cops. When the cops came he was wearing the jacket and could not take it off and hide it therefore, he was in even more trouble than before. Laura which is Andy’s boyfriend, was told that he was going to die and the cop started writing in his black book.

Imagery: “He lifted his face slightly and looking up at the man, and in the rain swept alley he smelled the sickening odor of alcohol”. This piece of information gives us the idea of smell, touch, sight and hearing. The passage on page 2 of the short story states that Andy has been met on the sidewalk by a drunk man. He can smell the alcohol and hear the drops of the rain on the ground. Andy cannot only hear and smell but, he can see the man when he slowly lifts his face off the ground.

Why did Andy want to be identified as “Andy” and not as a Royal?

Andy wanted to be identified as an individual. He didn’t want to be known as somebody who was a part of a gang. He did not want to be known as a perpetrator and as someone who others would be afraid of. It was not his intention to be a part of the gang. He walked innocently on the road and because of his clothing he was stabbed. He wanted to do a lot of things with his girlfriend and hoped to one day marry her and have children. None of this would be possible if he was known as a Royal because his family and wife would also be in danger.

Creative Writing:

 Rain is sweet, I’m Andy.

Little did we know Laura was walking around at night hoping she would find her boyfriend once again? She walked miles before she could find him. It just so happened that when she was walking pass the alley she heard a little screeching sound. She thought to herself “ I better run, I’m alone with no Andy. The minute Laura looked down at the ground there she saw Andy, bleeding in the rain.

She screamed his name “Andy! It’s me Laura!” Andy did not reply. Laura bursted into tears feeling hopeless. She tried to save her husband and in addition to this she helped Andy to remove the jacket that said ‘Royals’.

Andy did not want to be known as Royals, he wanted to be known as Andy. She tried speaking with Andy and all she could see was that he was slowly dying, painfully and it completely broke her heart.

In the end, Laura choose to sit with Andy and take as much care of him as she could. She called the ambulance and got Andy right away to the hospital. When they got to the hospital Andy said his last words, knowing he was going to die he reached out for Laura’s hand and said “I’m sorry this happened, I love you”.  

Laura had been beyond broken at this point. She had no hope, no more tears because she cried so much and she was lost without good old Andy.  

Laura thought to herself all the things that Andy thought to himself when he couldn’t find her and was alone on the sidewalk. She wondered if she would ever be with him again in heaven.

The End.