Literary Analysis: On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter
“On the Sidewalk Bleeding”
Evan Hunter’s “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” is a short story that was published in 1956. The story is all about a sixteen year-old boy named Tony, bleeds to death on the sidewalk after being stabbed below the ribs by a member of a rival gang. Its theme is acceptance of identity, in which one must not have different identity or title in order just to be accepted in the society. And its two main literary elements that support the theme are conflict and settings.
“On the Sidewalk Bleeding” has two different kinds of conflict. First, it is a man vs. man conflict. In the start of the short story, Tony is being stabbed by a rival gang called the Guardians who, during the stabbing, say “This is for you, Royal!” These two gangs stand for different things and hold different territory. Therefore, the happening is an example of a man vs. man conflict. The other conflict is between Tony and himself. As Tony continues to wait for someone to help him, he begins to lose hope. He fights with himself with some issues. He fights with himself over whether or not he will live after being stabbed by a rival gang. He admits to himself that he lost the battle. Tony also fights with himself over the decisions he has made in his life. It turns out that by the time he was dying, he began to regret why he joined the Royal.
The setting of this story takes place on a sidewalk outside the alley, 11:30 in the night. Its setting is very gloomy and dark. It is also raining at that time, which makes it spookier. In this story, the setting makes a huge impact to the plot. The rain can make a red puddle with the help of Tony’s blood, which makes the readers think that this story has a gloomy mood. This kind of setting connects with the terrible thoughts of Tony as he lay down and think of all the things he had done.
Evan Hunter’s “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” is a short story that was published in 1956. The story is all about a sixteen year-old boy named Tony, bleeds to death on the sidewalk after being stabbed below the ribs by a member of a rival gang. Its theme is acceptance of identity, in which one must not have different identity or title in order just to be accepted in the society. And its two main literary elements that support the theme are conflict and settings.
“On the Sidewalk Bleeding” has two different kinds of conflict. First, it is a man vs. man conflict. In the start of the short story, Tony is being stabbed by a rival gang called the Guardians who, during the stabbing, say “This is for you, Royal!” These two gangs stand for different things and hold different territory. Therefore, the happening is an example of a man vs. man conflict. The other conflict is between Tony and himself. As Tony continues to wait for someone to help him, he begins to lose hope. He fights with himself with some issues. He fights with himself over whether or not he will live after being stabbed by a rival gang. He admits to himself that he lost the battle. Tony also fights with himself over the decisions he has made in his life. It turns out that by the time he was dying, he began to regret why he joined the Royal.
The setting of this story takes place on a sidewalk outside the alley, 11:30 in the night. Its setting is very gloomy and dark. It is also raining at that time, which makes it spookier. In this story, the setting makes a huge impact to the plot. The rain can make a red puddle with the help of Tony’s blood, which makes the readers think that this story has a gloomy mood. This kind of setting connects with the terrible thoughts of Tony as he lay down and think of all the things he had done.