Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

¶ … Walk Away from Omelas tells the tale of a city that must torture one of its citizens so that the rest can live a happy and cultured life. The one child that must be kept in misery is a scapegoat and must receive all of the filth, poverty, darkness, and misery so that others may have a utopian life. This poses a moral dilemma that the citizens must come to terms with in order to live their lives in a way that makes the suffering of the one "worth it." This essay will explore the theme of the individual and society in the story.

The society in the story is utopian due to the collective actions of individuals and their commitment to make the sacrifice of the one "worthwhile." Societies are a collection of the individuals and the attitudes that prevail. One cannot change societal attitudes without changing the minds of a majority of the individuals in it. LeGuin points out that an individual can have both little affect on society as a whole, or a tremendous effect on society. What makes the chosen child different from all of the other privileged children in society? Why was this child special and not some other child? These questions were never addressed by the author, but they are important in the point that the author makes about the effect that one individual has on society.

Most in the city of Omelas are able to put aside their individual guilt upon seeing the child. They come to realize that their individual pleasure comes at the expense of someone else's misery and sacrifice. They are not willing to suffer themselves, even if it means the suffering of another. They do not have slavery on the outside, but the child is the ultimate slave. Individuals put aside their own morals, creating a society that is willing to ignore the suffering of one for the good of the many. This story emphasizes the point that in the whole of society one individual is not important and that all, even in its utopian society, are dehumanized on some level (Thripp). Those that feel guilty or the walk away do not have an impact on societal morals as a whole.

This story highlights the paradox that society is the sum total of the individuals, yet one individual does not have an impact on society, unless they do something extraordinary. If one person were to speak a kind word and take compassion on the child, the entire society would collapse. Omelas society is dependent on the suffer and of the one special child, but the actions of other individuals do not have an impact on it. Omelas society rests on a rotten foundation, despite all of its beauty (Thripp).