Essay: Exploring Morality in The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

This essay analyzes Ursula K. Le Guin's short story, 'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,' exploring the themes of morality, societal structures, and the dark side of humanity. The story presents a seemingly utopian city whose happiness is dependent on the perpetual suffering of a single child. The essay examines the contrast between the city's prosperity and the child's misery, delving into questions of altruism, egoism, and the choices individuals make in the face of such knowledge. It explores the allegorical nature of the story, drawing parallels to economic and political disparities. The analysis highlights the author's use of ambiguity and dark imagery to critique the imbalance created for the sake of societal happiness. The essay concludes by emphasizing the immoral and egoistic aspects of humanity presented in the story, with the child symbolizing the scapegoat for the collective good. The essay also references scholarly sources to support its arguments.

Running head: ENGLISH
Quote for Wisdom: The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula Le Guin
Name of the Student:
Name of University:
Author Note

2
ENGLISH
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a moving piece of short story which is a
philosophical fiction written by Ursula K. Le Guin. The narrator engages in the description of a
summer celebration which is taking place in an almost idealized city which is full of prosperity
and merry making. The story begins with festivities complemented by splendid weather which
seemingly presents the readers with a happy occasion in which the people are taking part. It is a
first person narration in which the preparation of the children taking part in the horse race and
the audience who have arrived to witness the event are described about. However, the readers are
presented with a horrific truth that the happiness and prosperity of Omelas are dependent on a
gruesome act of perpetually keeping a child in misery (Le Guin, 2014). The revelation is
shocking poses several questions about the ideal city. The paper would focus on to analyze the
truth which is unfortunate and brings out the dark side of humanity and whether that makes
people altruists or egoists.
The story depicts Omelas which is very utopian while the narrator describes the Festival
of Summer. The noticeable facts are happiness, mirth, beauty and prosperity which is located by
the sparkling sea. As the festival approaches, the population of the city engages in preparation
and as people come together to join processionals (Le Guin, 2014). The green fields become
lively as boys and girls prepare while their horses exercise for the horse race. The city enlivens
as music is heard throughout the city as people sing and bells clang. It seems like the city is very
self-sufficient and only comprises of the things which are necessary. It becomes apparent that the
sources of harm are excluded from the city. Everything which existed in excess were excluded as
there was contentment among the people who resided in the city of Omelas. It is stragely
beautiful to note that the residents of the city are not that simple even though they are seem being
happy (CHANG, 2018). There are more characters which are to be associated with them, such as

3
ENGLISH
passionate adults who are intelligent yet whose lives are not wretched (Gale , 2016). Even
though happiness which is apparent are quite spontaneous and innocence, it becomes clear that
there also lies complexity through the descriptions of the city. It is no fairytale.
The author leaves it very ambiguous as it is not mentioned anywhere about the state of
affairs whether there is any military control or is governed by a king. There is no such outlines
which highlight tyranny and unrest, which is why the story is all the more utopian. Love is
presented as something which is plentiful and can be explored in the city as people wish to,
therefore, there is not any such sexual mores which the readers are presented with (Gale , 2016).
However, the readers soon are presented with a horrific truth which makes it obvious that these
truths are only prevalent in the surface.
Beneath the merry and happy city, there is a child who is trapped and lives in misery and
darkness perpetually who is a living sacrifice made by the people of the city in order to ensure
the peace and happiness v. The child is malnourished, underdeveloped mentally and physically
who is neglected by the entire city who lives terrified, every single day (Crowther, 2019). The
child remembers its mother’s voice and the warmth of sunlight which it has been deprived off
after being segregated from the enlivened city. However, the existence and condition of the child
is known to the people whether or not they have personally witnessed it. They are aware that the
act ensures happiness and beauty of the city, which is why it is to be continued and thus, people
continue to be blindfolded towards the misery of the child (Huculak, Ross & Shukin, 2019).
The knowledge of that truth is considered to be a ritual which is gained with experience
and maturity between the age eight years and twelve. There are several themes, which have been
employed by the author such as addressing the readers directly, allegory and shattering the pre
conceived notions of suffering and happiness (CHANG, 2018). The readers are compelled to

4
ENGLISH
open theirmind to a complex understanding and refute the romanticized notion of happiness in
the modern world.
The story is largely allegorical as the misery of the city and the perfect state of happiness
of the city is a stark representation of the poor and rich in a capitalistic society. A deeper
understanding would suggest the macrocosmic economic and political disparities which exist
between the first and third world countries. Le Guin strictly do not present her judgments but
presents the contrast through deliberate ambiguity and vagueness of the amenities in the city.
Even though she abstains from explicitly condemning the evil of the city and she points out the
filth committed by the populace by depicting the condition of the child through dark imagery
(Gale , 2016). The first part of the story is bright, merry and joyous while the latter part is
horrible, gruesome and sinister.
Thus, it can be concluded by saying that narrator presents the readers with the awful
imbalance which is created for the sake of society’s happiness at the cost of a suffering child.
The immoral and egoistic side of humanity is presented in the most profound manner in the short
story The Ones Who Walk Awa from Omelas. The child represent the selfish nature of man as an
innocent child is mistreated for a happy lifestyle of the entire populace like a scape goat. The
child symbolizes Christ who sacrifices himself for the collective good.

5
ENGLISH
References
CHANG, T. C. H. (2018). (Re)-directing literature to ethical justice: Happiness in Ursula K.
LeGuin’s “The ones who walk away from Omelas”.
Crowther, D. (2019). Walking Away from Omelas. In Responsibility and Governance (pp. 17-
25). Springer, Singapore.
Gale, C. L. (2016). A Study Guide for Ursula K. Le Guin's" Ones Who Walk Away from
Omelas". Gale, Cengage Learning.
Huculak, J. M., Ross, S., & Shukin, N. (2019). The Ethics of Walking Away: A Discussion of
Ursula Le Guin’s" The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.".
Le Guin, U. K. (2014). The ones who walk away from Omelas. Evil and the Hiddenness of God,
23.