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Omelas Quote Analysis

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Ursula Le Guin defines Omelas as a utopia where the citizens’ lives are never wretched. Le Guin captures her readers’ attention by describing the city’s beauty with the colorful scenery, events featuring games and horse riding, and the everlasting happiness. She does a great job of leading her readers into thinking this could be the perfect society, but leaves us with the question of satisfaction. According to Le Guin, “happiness is based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive” (p. 2). This quote means that there must be a balance for the society to succeed. The basic needs in life are considered as water, food, and reproduction, and the simple wants are “central heating, subway trains, washing machines, and all kinds of marvelous devices” (p.2). The destruction to society could be one’s remorse for the child’s suffering. If one shows sympathy for the child and it is released from the basement, the city’s beauty and happiness will vanish. The child could represent selfless because its sacrifice is for the prosperity of Omelas. Le Guin explains that the society is a bargain between happiness and …show more content…

This quotes shows that the citizens’ emotions are affected by the child’s neglect. Omelas is suppose to be a society where citizens show no sympathy because it would jeopardize their freedom and lifestyle. The basement where the child resides frightens the citizens because it symbolizes how the society could be despondent, so they allow the child to be the scapegoat. I believe the title, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, is significant because it expresses people that are not satisfied in Omelas walk away to find their pure happiness. Le Guin does a great job influencing her readers into thinking that receiving happiness through others is not worth it. Therefore, Omelas is not a perfect

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