The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Literary Analysis

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin describes the critical balance in maintaining a utopia. According to Jefferson Flanders, author of “Herald Square”, argues that Le Guin wrestles with philologist Willam Jones’ idea that “one could not accept a happiness shared with millions if the condition of that happiness were the suffering of one lonely soul” (Flanders). Le Guin argues that success, for a society, comes from the achievements of the fortunate. This success is balanced by the misfortune of a few in the world. In the story, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” Le Guin uses metaphors, imagery and symbols to illustrate society’s need for a scapegoat and the struggle to maintain balance in a utopia. Throughout the opening

This notion is not surprising, because the acceptance of the necessary evil or the ends justifying the means has a long history in various societies. The ones who walk away are so disgusted and troubled by the “wretched child” in the basement that they leave. Le Guin writes, “ They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back. The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas” (Le Guin). The fact that some people are willing to walk away from that happiness because they know it is built on the oppression of an innocent child means that there may be some hope for their society. However, the ones who walk away are only the first steps in fixing the society. There is some uncertainty about their departure. By choosing exile, they have chosen to accept the continued evil of the child’s imprisonment. They simply walk away and ignore their utopia’s problem. They have just enough moral clarity to separate themselves from the ongoing evil at the heart of Omelas, but not enough courage to resist the evil. Le Guin’s story has no figure that chooses justice above the status quo in the utopia. True, courage is hard to come by in this society and acceptance is the easiest survival technique. However, a group must refuse to accept the social norms. Even though they may face many personal and societal consequences, they will become the The Ones Who Stay and