“The Boy Who Bled” is a short story by the author, Evan Hunter. The story contains a lengthy exposition that clearly states the setting, the main protagonist, the main antagonist and the plot. The setting is in a dark alleyway, back in time while gangs like the Royals existed in the city. In the exposition, it is stated that the main protagonist Andy-is bleeding to death. The exposition also states that Andy was taken by the rival gang: Guardians and stabbed in an alleyway. This foreshadows the ending for the short story and also sets a mood of sparse apathy and drama to go along with the story.
The inciting incident in “The Boy Who Bled” occurs when Andy was stabbed. The main protagonist Andy is a member of the gang Royals. By being in this gang, they rival against the Guardians. As Andy was leaving the jump to get a pack of cigarettes only a block away, members from the Guardians decided to stab him right under the ribcage, yanking down the knife to create a large tear in his abdomen. Andy is then left in the alley way, bleeding to death but does not realize that he is dying. He only hopes that he will be found and brought to help. Afterwards, in the rising action, Andy encounters four people that had the opportunity to aid him, however, did not.
The climax of “The Boy Who Bled” occurs right after Laura leaves him to go find a cop. What occurs next is symbolic. Andy realizes that he is dying and after having reoccurring thoughts about being a Royal. With his remaining strength, shrugs off his jacket a foot away from his body before passing away. As Laura returns with a cop, the cop is ready to investigate his death that is, until he sees his Royals jacket a foot away. The cop now only disregards Andy as a Royal, without much c...
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...ruggles to accept the fact that he is dying and who exactly is Andy. Andy has reoccurring thoughts about his importance to the gang, and the gangs importance to him. Thus, creating Andy a dynamic character. By the resolution, Andy finally identifies with himself and realizes he would rather be known as Andy, than a Royal. By removing his jacket, it symbolically represents that Andy would like to be known as an individual, not a Royal.
I rate “The Boy Who Bled” 5 out of 5 Royals. I gave this story this perfect rating because I believed that this story was easy to identify and relate to because of my age. This story is about self-identity and regret as Andy didn’t have the chance to be himself, since he gave up his identity for another at such a young age. I can relate to this, and thus making it so easily for me to read the story because of the emotions it gives me.
"War is always, in all ways, appalling." This is how author Gary Paulsen describes war in his novel Soldier's Heart. Soldier's Heart is what we now know as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Paulsen displayed many examples of appalling events in Soldier's Heart. Some events were from deaths of fellow men, or traumatic experiences. Many of these events have scarred many soldiers around the world. Here are a few examples of scarring, appalling events included in Gary Paulsen's novel, Soldier's Heart.
Consequently, Andy’s soul withered further into hopelessness as each and every person who came to his rescue, turned their backs on him. Through a final desperate ambition, Andy broke free of the bonds that were pinning him down: “If it had not been for the jacket, he wouldn’t have been stabbed. The knife had not been plunged in hatred of Andy. The knife only hated the purple jacket. The jacket was a stupid, meaningless thing that was robbing him of his life. He lay struggling with the shiny wet jacket. Pain ripped fire across his body whenever he moved. But he squirmed and fought and twisted until one arm was free and the other. He rolled away from the jacket and layed quite still, breathing heavily, listening to the sound of his breathing and the sounds of rain and thinking: Rain is sweet, I’m Andy”. In these moments, Andy finally overcame his situation, only in a way not expected by most. Such depicted scenes are prime examples of human nature at it’s worst, as well as the horrors that lay within us. However, these events, although previously incomprehensible by his limited subconscious, led to a gradual enlightenment of the mind and heart. Furthermore, the experiences taught him
Oscar’s mother states that she found him bleeding on the bathroom. Oscar states that he did not try to kill himself. Oscar’ mother admits that he had seen a psychiatrist in the past due to his self-mutilating behavior. Upon assessment the nurse notices multiple scars from previous cuttings from his wrist up to the elbows. Oscar has two new lacerations that need repair. Oscar admits that he cut himself. He says that he feels pleasure and relaxation when he does it. Oscar state that he did not want to cut himself so deep. He says that everything is a misunderstanding.
The love that a parent feels for a child is the most indescribable feeling in the world. Most parents would do anything and everything to protect their children, but not all parents are aware of the danger their child faces. In the short story "Killings," by Andre Dubus, a mother and father are faced with the tragic death of their son. Both parents, although both may not admit to it, believe that the murderer deserves the same consequences their son suffered. Matthew Fowler takes matters into his own hands, and along with his friend, Willis Trottier, kills Richard Strout. The death of Richard Strout should not be tried as a murder, but as a justifiable homicide. Matthew Fowler, the father of Frank Fowler, had every reason to reciprocate Strout's actions. A child should not be taken from a parent in the way that Frank was taken from his.
The story begins in a small town in America. The Fowler family is faced with the burden, frustration and pain of having to bury their twenty-one year old son, Frank. The inward struggle faced by Matt Fowler, his wife, and family drives him to murder Richard Strout, Frank's killer, in order to avenge his son's murder and bring peace to himself and his family. Matt faced a life-time struggle to be a good father and protect his children from danger throughout their childhood. Dubus describes Matt's inner ...
After the traumatic event, the Brennans are continuously mistreated, causing them to feel they are “no longer wanted” (Burke, pg 1). After feeling ostracised by the township, the alienated Brennan family are driven to leave the town of Mumbilli at 4:30am. With hardly any peer support, Tom begins to lose his sense of security, resulting in his transformation into an unconfident teen who is afraid of public opinion. It is no wonder that Tom is unable to move on in his new town as he is being held back in fear of revealing his past. Burke tactfully illustrates Tom’s emotional kaleidoscope through phrases such as “I felt the knot snap” and “my guts landing at my feet” (Burke, pg 172) when reflecting on the accident. On the contrary, with encouragement from family members, Tom begins to step out of his comfort zone and face the future that is to
As the young boy gets older, his life begin to deteriorate. In the beginning 5- year-old boy is a normal child but earns his own money so he can enjoy his childhood activities. He plays on the hockey team and creates his own baseball and cricket team. He organizes games against other parts of town. While the other boys in the community played with slingshots and haunted neighbour’s windows, porch flowers pots, and the lights that shone near harm any animals and were considered as good mannered. As the boy gets older he begins to get into trouble by stealing and drinking, he dropped out of school even though he was topper of his class, after he spend a few days with a “better off families” during his hockey trip. But now he was stealing almost anything he could get his hands on and sell it to second hand shops and was continually getting caught. Towards the end of the story he becomes an alcoholic, and briefly reconnects with his childhood friends, before being killed in a car
With the son’s fear amongst the possibility of death being near McCarthy focuses deeply in the father’s frustration as well. “If only my heart were stone” are words McCarthy uses this as a way illustrate the emotional worries the characters had. ( McCarthy pg.11). Overall, the journey of isolation affected the boy just as the man both outward and innerly. The boys’ journey through the road made him weak and without a chance of any hope. McCarthy states, “Ever is a long time. But the boy knew what he knew. That ever is no time at all” (McCarthy pg. 28). The years of journey had got the best of both, where they no longer had much expectation for
A red balloon floats from the boy’s grasp, as tears run down his face, all of the boys around him hit him and pull at his things. All except one, who stands in the back, Jon Huntman, He doesn’t understand why his childish need for torture and fun have subsided, he just felt pity for the boy. Years then past, his feelings of love and regret grew stronger each year. He no longer wanted pain for others, he had a good job and a wife, and he felt bad for past deeds and wanted to correct his wrongdoings. One day in his late 30’s he went to the boy’s house whom he had stood and watch get bullied, and hung a red balloon on his door. Growing mentally and becoming a better person is the best thing about growing up, as Jon did.
A Child Called It is a book written by Dave Pelzer. Dave writes this book as an abused child who went through horrific experience. In the first part, he writes how he was horribly beaten, and even forced to swallow his own vomit, ammonia, and even soap. Dave writes about the horrors children go through when abused. A Child Called It is an unforgettable account of an abused child who was brutally beaten, burned, starved, and tortured with an unstable alcoholic mother. A child Called It is an incredible emotional story where the author describes how he endured unthinkable suffering and abuse from his own mother who hated him for no reason. Dave provides a detailed account of the neglect and abuse as well as the emotions, struggles, and the pain he had to cope with in order to survive. Later on Dave was able to be freed from his hateful mother and the hell of life he was living in.
...her and son is what ultimately makes the story so gripping with audiences and readers alike because of the subsequent evolution in the nature of their relationship as the story progresses. With each telling and retelling of Edward Bloom’s stories, the reader and William both gain a little more insight in the enigma who is Edward Bloom. Despite the resentment and anger that dominates William’s feelings for his father, his ability to strive to make peace and make sense of his mystifying father, who has always eluded his own comprehension, is significant to anyone who has ever felt disconnect with a dying family member.
Conclusion: The author Evan Hunter, of the story, “On The Sidewalk Bleeding” successfully demonstrates the theme of Coming of Age as he shifted his main character from an adolescent, idealistic view of the world to a more mature and realistic view. The character matured from making ignorant and selfish decisions to a more knowledgeable and selfless decisions. Andy came of age from a boy to a man, as he lay on the street bleeding to death. All in all these newly developed characteristics all prove the genre of coming of
...hen you reach the end the boy has taken a turn and instantly matures in the last sentence. Something like that doesn’t just happen in a matter of seconds. Therefore the readers gets the sense that the narrator is the boy all grown up. He is recollecting his epiphany within the story allowing the readers to realize themselves that the aspiration to live and dream continues throughout the rest of ones life. The narrator remembers this story as a transformation from innocence to knowledge. Imagination and reality clearly become two different things to the narrator; an awareness that everyone goes though at some point in their life. It may not be as dramatic as this story but it gradually happens and the innocence is no longer present.
The cops surrounded the building and tensions rose. The younger of the two boys started to get anxious and shot a table. The younger boy freaked out and shot a table. The cashier, threw up and the little girl started crying. Zach, who had been supposed to take his medication h...