On the Sidewalk Bleeding Essay

Jean De La Fontaine once said “Beware- so long as you live of judging men by their outward appearance,” and this idea is reinforced continually in the short story, “on the sidewalk bleeding” written by Evan hunter. The important idea was judgment and how we should not judge a book by it’s cover. I think this idea is worth learning about because too often in society we judge people without knowing them. The author wants to communicate that you should not prejudge somebody for their looks and consider what is inside of them first.
In the short story “On the side walk bleeding” the author has employed many techniques such as symbolism to help convey the idea ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. The main symbol in this short story was the purple jacket with ‘The Royals” imprinted on the back which symbolized Andy’s loss of identity. Wearing the jacket meant that he was judged not as Andy but as a gang member in “The Royals”. He was not seen as his own person but judged based on those he associated with. This is shown when the couple noticed Andy lying helplessly on the ground, Freddie was prepared to help Andy but after he realized that he was a gang member, due to his fear and preconceived ideas, his willingness to aid Andy instantly perished, as he did not “want to get mixed up in this”. I found this interesting because the couple based all their opinions on Andy’s jacket and not for who he really was. Freddie and Angela’s response when discovering Andy as “A Royal” also interested me because no matter what group he is from or what type of clothing he wears, if somebody in front you is suffering from pain, it is a wise idea to call for help as it may result in their death if they fail to do so. I could not understand how these people could be so inhumane and cold because of their personal feelings towards a particular group. This showed me how the jacket symbolizes judgment and illustrates how society judge people without knowing them at all. I think this idea is