'The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas'

“If the hypothesis were offered us of a world in which Messrs. Fourier's and Bellamy's and Morris's utopias should all be outdone, and millions kept permanently happy on the one simple condition that a certain lost soul on the far-off edge of things should lead a life of lonely torture, what except a specific and independent sort of emotion can it be which would make us immediately feel, even though an impulse arose within us to clutch at the happiness so offered, how hideous a thing would be its enjoyment when deliberately accepted as the fruit of such a bargain”? This is a quote from the American philosopher William James that largely inspired the story “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” written by Ursula K. Le Guin. Ursula though born in California, currently resides in Portland Oregon. Her mother was a writer and her father an anthropologist. She thought of the name Omelas when she saw a road sign for Salem Oregon.

There is no way the city of Omelas could imprison all children or citizens in the city of Omelas, so if it cannot be made into a universal law then there is no justification of the action being done. Additionally, the second maxim relates to treating no one as a means to an end. Treating no one as a means to an end means behaving a certain way towards an individual just to get something out of them. With the child’s suffrage in the compact cellar room, they are respecting it as a means to the overall happiness in the city of Omelas. By behaving towards the child this specific way, they are treating him or her in a certain way just to get satisfaction and happiness and the end result shows it is a terrible action. Another problem deontologists view is that the people of Omelas know about the suffrage of the child, so there is nothing hidden from the citizens. Several of the townspeople even go see the child, but yet no one has done anything about it. All of the people that do nothing or the people that leave the city of Omelas are no help to the suffrage of the child due their action of entirely leaving or ignoring the situation has no good will. With all of these mistreatments given to the child living in horrible conditions, there is no way that anyone in the city of Omelas should be enjoying happiness.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s short work of fiction, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, remains memorable in both its theme of injustice and its unique presentation of the raw human emotion in reaction to it. Finding parallels with other notable works such as George Orwell’s 1984, the short story gives the reader with a quick abstract of a moral tale. It offers an ethical rejection of injustice through its actors – the people that choose not to live within Omelas, refusing utopia, and walking away guided by a sense of moral purpose. The story connects with readers through its many themes. Notably, it parallels the realities in our world of injustice, anger and frustration, despair and powerlessness,

As previously stated, the narrator is the one who describes and foreshadows the scapegoat use of the child. The narrator described a lack of guilt in Omelas which leads to the idea of scapegoatism. Once the narrator reveals the child and the harsh conditions in which it lives, the narrator also reveals uses of the child. In fact, the narrator makes the reader aware of the scapegoat by stating, “They all know it has to be there,” (252). After the narrator explains how the people of Omelas know the child has to remain in its tortured cellar, he/she explains that their city and its beauty depends on it (252). The depiction of needing the child for the ultimate happiness of the utopia basically describes using him/her as the person to blame. Basically, the child is giving the people of Omelas someone to blame for all the minor flaws, so that they can continue their happy life. Lastly, the narrator explains the theme of ignorance being bliss when he/she describes, “Some of them have come to see it, others are content merely to know it is there,” (252). Since the narrator tells the reader that not everyone goes to see the child, he/she is telling the audience that some choose to not see it. If they don’t see the child suffering then they can pretend it is not, and they can

The boy “needs” to be in pain and live in horrible conditions so Omelas can stay beautiful, so all the citizens in Omelas can live happy, and all the children can live healthy. “They all know that it [the boy] has to be there...that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers” (Le Guin 282). As the short story reveals, most of the citizens in the town knows the existence of this boy, knows the condition “it” lives in, knows that “it” begs every night to be let out; but just because of one slightest speculation, the boy has to suffer for his entire life in underground Omelas. The definition of Omelas is a city of togetherness, peacefulness, and happiness but the boy does not possess any of these traits. As the narrator puts it “The terms are strict and absolute; there may not even be a kind word spoken to the child” (Le Guin 282). This rejects the trait that Omelas is together. On the surface, it seems like citizens in Omelas are enjoying their time together, but they all possess more or less a feeling of guilt if not pity. Later on in the passage, the narrator reveals “Often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage, when they have seen the child and faced this terrible paradox” (Le Guin 282). The

First and foremost, from the start of the story Omelas is described in a positive light, through words and phrases such as, “merry”, “sparkled”, and “shimmering of gong and tambourine”. Repetition is used to influence the importance of the positive energy and outlook of Omelas. For example music and dancing is used multiple times in just the first paragraph demonstrating its uplifting feel. Also mentioned in the beginning is the view of “eighteen peaks burned with white-gold fire across the sunlit air,” this symbolizes the heaven like aspect of Omelas and high value of their society (Le Guin 1). Based off of the first page one can come to the generalization that the city of Omelas is a utopia. However, in this particular society they need to force their blame, hate and negativity onto someone else they need a scapegoat. For them to keep this overall “greater good” and happiness for everyone, one must suffer. The readers come to this conclusion when they are introduced to the tortured

America and Omelas alike feel the need suppress guilt. Even though the story says there is no guilt in Omelas, the peoples reaction to the child shows otherwise. Le Guin says that when people go to see the child they are "shocked and sickened at the sight. They feel disgust, They feel anger, outrage, impotence, despite all the explanations. They would like to do something for the child. But there is nothing they can do” (Le Guin 210). This shows the need to suppress guilt because the citizens are so disgusted, yet put the child in the back of their heads to carry on with their own pleasure. Some of the people display their guilt by leaving Omelas because they cannot accept the conditions the child lives in for them to be happy. This is seen in contemporary American culture. On any give major city sidewalk, there are homeless people begging for change. Thousands of other Americans walk by them everyday. They do not give them their change or even a glance because if they do they are giving in to their guilt. Guilt is seen as something that needs to be stuffed deep down in America. If

Omelas is supposed to be the perfect city. It is stated that the people there know no suffering “Joyous! How is one to tell about joy? How is one to describe the citizens of Omelas?” This perfect world makes it difficult to dispute that anyone should leave. Then, we are faced with the more problematic aspects of Omelas. This refers to the suffering child. “To exchange all of the goodness and grace for that single, small improvement…” This aspect of Omelas is appalling to most people. However, not all would be willing to exchange that for the ideal society that is Omelas.

The one that stayed locked up - crazy from his misery. Those that remained outside - went mad with fear for their happiness or walked away from the city. No one tried to save the boy. Most people only learned to pretend blind to the suffering of others. LeGuin does not answer her questions. The author only hints that "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" are the ones who are moving away from the trouble. People are walking away from a city where there is no truth, justice, true freedom, and true happiness. And then readers understand that almost all of us actually live and agree to live (not always happily) at the expense of the suffering of others. That is how our world functions. We have not created it so, and it is not for us to change. On the other hand, very few are brave to fight the justice of the world, those who walk

‘Please let me out, I will be good!’ Citizens visit, as if to prove their own happiness, yet “They never answer.” (599). All of the people of Omelas know the child is there. “In fact the whole concept of Omelas is said to depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery.”

The citizens come to the consensus that nothing can be done for the child, and nothing should be done. To help this one miserable child would lead to the suffering of an entire city, after all. This is what the narrator persuades us to think. She uses many methods to prove her point. For instance, she tells us that if the child were to be saved, “in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed.” (1552). She defends the people of Omelas, who are not heartless, cruel, mindless “simple utopians,” but instead as passionate, intelligent, gentle people capable of sympathy. However, they understand that “the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars…the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery.” (1552). Not only this, but she asserts that the child is too “imbecile” to recognize love anymore; it has grown

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.

Omelas people find out that if the kid were liberated, then the possible joyfulness of the degraded kid

Utopias have been depicted all throughout history in our literature and art, and is talked about today. A utopia is a perfect society and has been attempted many times, some successful but most haven’t prevailed. Some of the earliest attempts were from the pilgrims although some of the most successful attempts are still around today. There are many people on both sides, although some believe a utopia could work there are many factors that make concept debatable. Even with today’s “successful” modern attempt there are many unaccounted possibilities that could happen when translated to a large scale version in today's society. Some problems would be forms of government, strict set of laws, and restrictions of freedom.

We all have dreamed of a perfect world and we all have our own ideas about how to achieve it. Unfortunately, it’s just not possible in the world we live in. But if a utopia could be attained, there are elements that could represent a utopia.