Good Copy Character Analysis: Andy Puneet Johal

Feb 23/23
Block C

There are many individuals who at some time in their life, have been held accountable for

something they did, as a result other people who may not know them, well suddenly do because

of that incident. In Evan Hunter’s short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding,” Andy the protagonist,

offers as a perfect example of the morals of self-identity since he struggles with it. To begin with,

Andy gets stabbed by a member of a rival gang in the story’s setting of a shadowy New York

alley. He thinks on the label’s society has given him such as his gang title “Royal,” while he lays

dying. Therefore, Andy’s death proves the importance of self-identity and why status is not

worthwhile.

Andy battles with his self-identity throughout “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” as he fights

with labels that society has assigned him. Yet Andy is more than just a gang member. Despite his

identity as a Royal, he is a young boy with ambitions, hopes and worries. The Guardians gang,

which was opposed to Andy’s gang, the Royals, had stabbed him in the stomach. At the time,

Andy had been dressed in his purple Royals jacket when he was stabbed. Unexpectedly, Andy

was the one the Guardians had recognized since Andy had been wearing the jacket with the

words “Royal” on it. This is significant because Andy may still have been alive if he had not been

wearing the jacket. Andy’s identification with the Royals also plays a significant role in his sense

of self. He takes pleasure in the gang’s reputation and wears the jacket as a badge of honor. But

this branding also restricts his capacity to show his uniqueness. He furiously attempts to take off

his jacket after being stabbed in order to reveal who he really is but is too wounded to do so. He

finds it annoying that people only see him as a gang member and not as a normal person. Andy
considers this dilemma as he lies dying and remarks “The jacket was a stupid meaningless thing

that was robbing him for his life” (Hunter 42). This quote shows how before his death, Andy has

separated himself from the gang by removing the jacket so that people would not know him as a

member of the gang but rather as a regular guy. When Laura, Andy’s girlfriend, arrives to learn

that he has passed away, she tries to find someone to assist her in reviving Andy. Possibly a

policeman. When Laura finds a police officer, she informs him that the victim’s name is Andy,

but the officer simply writes “‘A Royal’’’ (Hunter 42) on his notebook. This quote shows that

even though Laura had told the officer that his name was Andy, he only identified Andy as a

Royal and not by his true name. The clothing also identified Andy even after he had passed away

since the officer noticed the jacket lying next to Andy. Although possessing a certain status might

occasionally be good, it is not important if it results in the loss of life to achieve that rank. Even

though Andy has the potential to be a nice guy, his jacket and his memories of it were the only

things that made him miserable.

Hence, Andy’s death demonstrates the value of self-identity as well as the pointlessness

of status. Through Andy’s character, the struggle of a young boy, attempting to identify himself

in a society that seeks to categorize and box him is clearly made visible. Andy makes an effort to

distinguish himself, but he is unable to do so because of the title “Royal,” which finally results in

his sudden death. Despite pressure to fit in, the moral of the emphasizes the value of remaining

loyal to oneself.