Evan Hunter On The Sidewalk Bleeding Symbolism

Signpost essay
In “On the sidewalk bleeding” Evan Hunter uses symbolism and characterization to convey that there is more to life than what people are labeled as.
Characterization is used to help along the point giving us a better understanding of the main character. In the start of on the sidewalk bleeding the author uses characterization to flesh out Andy and give some of his aspirations. One of those aspirations is his girlfriend Laura he believes that “someday he would marry laura someday” (Hunter 2). First off this quote gives one of the symbols of the story. Second, this shows that Andy wants to have a life past the royals. The author also uses characterization to describe the nature of labels. A boy and a girl couple stumble upon Andy

they go and help him but they see that he's a Royal so there hesitant. The young couple is of helping him because of his gang affiliations “he’s a royal we help him and the guardians will be down our necks” (hunter 5). They leave Andy there just because he’s affiliated with a gang this makes a statement about how labels influence people. Even with Andy’s final breaths, he is still characterized. At the end, Andy no longer wanted to be a Royal because what good would that do if he was dead he now at the very edge of his life just wants to be andy.Andy realizes “what good is a title if you were dying” (Hunter 6). Hunter in general uses characterization to make the reader understand the people and situations better and better understand his message to the reader.
Also, the story uses a good deal of symbolism such as andy’s jacket symbolizing death.

The jacket is one of the Royals which created the hatred that andy was stabbed for. The assailant even yelled at andy “that’s for you royal!” (hunter 1). The label that andy was given made these people not see andy but see a Royal they see the jacket something that they find repulsive enough to end people's lives to end them. Andy being with royals wearing the jacket even innocent bystanders began to fear even associating with andy. Two of those innocent bystanders being Freddie and Angela the couple that finds andy in the alley.Freddie wants to help and but Angela says “I don't know I don’t want to get mixed up in this” (hunter 5). Freddie and Angela don't see a dying man if he wasn’t wearing the jacket that was associated with the Royals he wouldn’t have been stabbed and even if he did he could have been saved by Freddie and Angela. It was his gang affiliations that brought him the label and his death. Even after death, he was seen as a just a royal by most. After everything was finished for andy a cop and andy’s former girlfriend show up. The cop says “a Royal” (hunter 7) but Laura rebuttals that “no he's andy”(hunter 7). Everyone but Laura saw Andy as a Royal just a Royal not Andy just like the people before him but still Laura see him for his true self only if the rest of the world would too. People could make it so that people see people as themselves not what they are labeled as

long they see that for themselves.