Omelas Ethics

How does one know if Omelas is Utopian or Dystopian? This is the topic that will be explored, within a literary analysis of the short story by Ursula K. Le Guin: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. The narrator depicts a society that appears to simulate the Garden of Eden. The citizens of Omelas are seen to have a euphoric state of mind, which helps describe them as a happy society, which appears to be almost Utopian. However, the narrator deceives the reader into believing that Omelas is a Utopian society, and later reveals that there is a dark secret lurking within all the citizens of Omelas. There lives a child that must live in misery, sadness, and must endure solitude, while living in inhumane conditions from the rest of the people of Omelas. However, the right choice is the one that ensures the prosperity of the idea of a Utopian society. Which in return the idea of a Utopian society will be forever solidified within all the citizens of Omelas, which will secure the happiness for all of the citizens from generation to generation. Therefore, the reader’s morals and viewpoint are what determines if Omelas is a Utopian or Dystopian society.

Even though the narrator is not from the city, or directly in the story, the narrator is still the protagonist. Furthermore, the reader does not learn much about the narrator, which at times makes the story more interesting. The reader can tell that the narrator understands that there is a darkness in Omelas. The reader hears an example of the narrator’s knowledge of darker things when he/she describes, “I thought at first there were no drugs, but that is puritanical,” (251). The narrator describes how he/she didn’t believe there to be drug use; however, there was. Furthermore, prior to foreshadowing some of the dark happenings in Omelas, the narrator describes “One thing I know there was none of in Omelas is guilt,” (251). When the narrator describes how the people of Omelas don’t hold guilt it foreshadows the scapegoat use of the child (foreshadowing theme). Moreover, if it wasn’t for the non-participant viewpoint of the narration, the reader would not be told the events in a foreshadowed

In conclusion, imagery, “man vs. society” conflict, and dystopia were all used brilliantly in this story. Imagery allows the reader to be transported to the city of Omelas. “Man vs. society” conflict gives the reader the perspective of the citizens of Omelas. Dystopia is used to represent human morality. They manage to work together to demonstrate the theme of subjective morality. This story and its theme challenge our ideas of right and wrong, as well as make us think, “What would I

Le Guin cannot or will not elaborate on any of the details about Omelas ' happiness but, she has no issue describing its horrors in detail from the mops "with stiff, clotted, foul-smelling heads" (Le Guin 866) to the "eh-haa, eh-haa" (Le Guin 866) noise that the captive child hidden beneath the city makes at night. She does not allow any wiggle room for the reader, who was responsible for creating Omelas, to imagine anything that might mitigate or rationalize the child 's misery. The author points out that one thing that the people of Omelas do not have is guilt, but behind this seemingly flawless city’s outward appearance, the community knowingly and willingly inflicts horrible suffering on an innocent child out of their own selfishness to ensure that they can live free of any pain or misery. Perhaps the people of Omelas are without a conscience.

In today’s world one of the most important things is education and they way citizens’ think. One example, of a control method in both society’s is to control citizens’ consciousness and education. In the society of “Those Who Walk Away From Omelas” citizens have happy consciousness, but are educated of the child who has to suffer. Which makes citizens’ of Omelas feel bad because of the suffering the child has to experience. As stated in “Those Who Walk Away From Omelas” “The know that if the wretched one were not there sniveling in the dark, the one one, the flute-player could make no joyful music…”(3) This quote shows that the suffering that child goes through is for the benefit of the others of Omelas. In contrast to the “Brave New World”

The ones who walk away from Omelas believe in equality and fairness among their city. They believe that it is not fair for the citizens to act like they are living a perfect life when they know there is someone that has been suffering, trapped in a room with no human contact for what seems like a countless number of years. When they decide to walk away from Omelas, it is not because they are acting cowardly or trying to avoid helping the young child. These people make this decision to help themselves. Those outcasts who walk away not knowing where they are going are humans that cannot accept the fact that they have been so happy while another person in their same city is miserable.

To begin, in the first part of the story, a city called Omelas and its inhabitants are described as one happy community, but a negative connotation on the city and its people is implied as the story progresses.”They

Omelas, a utopian city taking into account the reason that the whole public lives in peace and success however just on the condition that one kid from the city lives with torment and disregard. One child is chosen from among the people of Omelas to serve as a penance that will permit whatever is left of the city to live in harmony and abundance. The child is set in a miniature, rigid room with no comforts and is totally cut off from whatever is left of the society. One child of the city is compelled to live closed far from whatever remains of society

The people of Omelas are “mature, intelligent, passionate adults whose lives are not wretched”(254). It is a city of happiness and perfection, but also an ugly hidden truth. The narrator gives descriptions of Omelas as if she has lived there and knows the truth of what lies beneath. She

Even if, this child’s misery was the reason why Omelas was looking good, it stills a shock for me that an entire population will let a poor child suffer for the sake of good fortune. It’s seems as the whole town of Omelas was full of immoral people. I really felt disgust about this story because I image this child being one of my nephews and I felt horrible. I felt mostly disgust by the family of this child because at least if people do not have compassion on the child what about his own family. Moreover, I certainly did not like the way the author refers to the child as “it” (par.12) in the story.

LeGuin states that those who leave the town of Omelas “walk ahead into the darkness” (8), which further conveys how unfathomable this unknown place is

What is one to make of the city of Omelas? It is a fantastical place so transcendental that the author herself struggles to properly detail its majesty. Omelas has everything— it is beautiful, technologically advanced, and bears no need for organized religion. The atmosphere is rich with music, festivities, and orgies. And even with all this excessive indulgence, the people manage to remain elite: expert craftsman in every art, scholars of the highest caliber, gentle mothers and fathers, and all-around good people. However, all this prosperity comes with a price. The success and happiness of Omelas stems from the immense

Men and women walk the streets, and weep at the fact of the child in the cellar. The child in the cellar is the existence of why the Omelas treat their children gentle but yet full of compassion and joyful love for happiness. The tearless rage, treatment, freedom, and acceptance of the Omelas to the child have long ever to be free and fearful.

This child martyr allows life in Omelas to function as a perfect utopia, provided that “there may not even be a kind word spoken to the child (Guins 4). The citizens of Omelas know “that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery” (Guins 3). They justify the beatings and cruelty done to this child by knowing they will always live in a perfect society, and would rather sacrifice the happiness of the child than the happiness of the entire population. The relationship of the citizens and the child corresponds to a set class structure where the wealthy, or upper class, control the lives of the poor lower class. By refusing to give up their happiness, they take complete control over the child’s life, surrendering to social and class structures.

Genocide, poverty, religious intolerance, misogynism, these are only a few of the atrocities the people in some countries face every day. What choice do they have? Their only means of escape are death or refuge. So the obvious choice is refuge. They stowaway on ships or airplanes, pack into cars, or just start walking to a country where they have a small hope of not only surviving, but living a normal life. Most of them will end up in detention camps, and most will end up in camps where the conditions are very poor. Some will apply for asylum and be in camp for an undetermined amount of time. Others will not and could be held for even longer, maybe indefinitely. The effects of detention on the human mind are debilitating, and a child