The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas Literary Analysis

Secrets are all around us; some can be seen as evil and some can be seen as good. This integral balance between good and evil is shown throughout “The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas”, however, sacrifice is the theme that is more prevalent across the story. Throughout this story, the citizens sacrifice the child’s youth, their own logic, and others sacrifice the society they have known just to get away from the dark secret. Can it really be ethical the sacrifice the happiness of a child for one’s own?
The citizens of Omelas are sacrificing the child’s youth and life so that everyone else can have a better chance at happiness. Their happiness and perfect society mean more to them then the well-being of an innocent child. They put the child …show more content…
They convince themselves that the child would not survive outside of its prison. “As time goes on they begin to realize that even if the child were released, it would not do much good with its freedom.” (P4, Par 8). Ursula Le Guin claimed at the beginning that there was no guilt, yet when the citizens come up with excuses it seems as though they filled with guilt. They have freedom so they can say that it doesn’t do much good, their perspective allows them to. “Indeed, after so long it would probably be wretched without walls about it to protect it.” (P.4 Par 8). They crave happiness and a perfect society so much they allow themselves to be clouded by what they think is right rather than what actually is. The child is not happy in the basement, instead it is afraid of everything, “It is afraid of the mops. It finds them horrible.” (P3 Par 5). If the child is afraid of mops it is probably beyond terrified of people. How could the terrified child possibly be protected by something it is afraid of? “To throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of the happiness of one: that would be to let guilt within the walls indeed.” (P.4, Par.7). It would seem that they have more guilt over having the child in the situation, rather than lying to themselves in thinking that’s where the child belongs. Ursula Le Guin paints this picture of guilt-free society, but has people leave everything behind because of their

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The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas Literary Analysis

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