In the story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin examines conformity from both an obvious and intricate perspective. At the beginning of the story we are introduced that in order to preserve their idealized way of life, people who put up with the misery of one child are merely following social norms meant to make everyone happy. But the opposing viewpoint contends that because cooperative people are conflicted about their choices and the moral implications of their actions, they deal with a substantial amount of ethical ambiguity. This viewpoint ultimately shows that living in the Omela's involves facing or avoiding the unpleasant truths that underlie their way of life, in addition to merely abiding by the rules. Refusing to conform to social conventions and ultimately turning away from the Omelas are examples of people who are unwilling to …show more content…
Their willingness to ignore the obvious because they feel stupid or undeserving of their position is an example of a simplistic view of compliance. "Everyone who was unfit for the job he held, or who was very simple in character, would be invisible to the clothes made from this wonderful cloth," according to Anderson. (Anderson, 1) This demonstrates why the emperor, the ministers, and the courtiers all complied and were afraid to disagree for fear of having their judgment questioned. Like the people who live in Omelas, they choose the easiest path and bend the truth to win over the group. This is the pattern: even in cases where deception is blatantly apparent, people can avoid moral responsibility by complying. This is comparable to Le Guin's Omelas, in which the people accept the system without questioning it, even when they are aware that it depends on one child's suffering in order for them to be