The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
A utopian society, in my mind, is one without disease, crime, or poverty. A society in which everyone is happy and free, where everything is perfect. A society in which each person can live in his or her own version of paradise or ecstasy. This of course, is impossible and can only be portrayed in fictional stories such as "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas". But, is Omelas a utopian society? In this paper I will discuss the elements of utopia present in the community of Omelas, the elements that counter utopia in the community of Omelas, my feelings toward the author's description of Omelas, and what the child in the broom closet may possibly symbolize. There are definitely strong indications that utopia exists in Omelas. Le Guin begins the short story with a description of Omelas, which fills my mind with images of a kinetic city, with beautiful architecture coupled with green pastures and clear blue lakes and ponds, birds soaring in warm air, brilliant colors and cheerful music, with happy people having fun and preparing for a festival. Her description is that of a Utopian society, everything is perfect and everyone is happy. She goes on to describe the citizens of Omelas, who she insists "are not a simple folk"(p
g889), and "are happy"(pg889). These people were "Mature, intelligent, passionate adults, whose lives were not wretched."(Pg890). She describes Omelas as having "all kinds of marvelous devices not yet invented here, floating light sources, fuelless power, a cure for the common cold."(Pg890). These are all elements of a utopian society. She explains that everyone in Omelas is joyous and their lives are fille! In reading The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas I think it is important to realize that there are two different, mutually exclusive, Ursula K. Le Guins. The first is a short story writer who was educated at "Radcliffe College and Columbia University". (Pg888). Her other works include The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), Planet of Exile (1966), City of Illusions (1967), and The Dispossessed (1974). The other is Ursula K. Le Guin, the woman who claims she has been to Omelas and is now trying to convince us by giving us a description of the city and its people. The first is the storywriter. The second is the storyteller. In essence, she has indirectly made herself a character in her own short story. I enjoy that aspect of her writing. The Ursula K. Le Guin that I intend to discuss in this text is the character. Imagine for a moment that she, the character, is trying to convince you, the reader, of this mystical city called Omelas. Would you believe her? I would not. She ! This child is a citizen of Omelas and is very unhappy. Every other citizen of Omelas understands "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 upon this child's abominable misery."(Pg892). The thought of this child brings
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Approximate Word count = 1237
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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