“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”, by Ursula K. Le Guin, is a short story that triumphantly manages to twist a joyous mood into a dark and unfathomable sensation. Ursula K. Le Guin, uses multiple elements and successfully implemented these elements into certain aspects of folklore. There are two specific elements that are most noticeable in the story. The first element is atmosphere and the second element is theme. The first element that Le Guin uses successfully is atmosphere. She creates the atmosphere through detailed descriptions of the town and people of Omelas. For instance, “Children dodged in and out, their high calls rising like the swallows ' crossing flights over the music and the singing” (pp. 1257). The atmosphere described here is happy and exciting; yet, not only is this a great description of atmosphere but also of setting. Le Guin sets the story up into a beautiful picture. However, what she doesn’t at first depict changes the story’s overall mood. A dramatic change of atmosphere in the story happens when Le Guin asks, “Do you believe? Do you accept the festival, the city, the joy? No? Then let me describe one more thing.” (pp. 1259) She then proceeds to describe a child locked in a cellar; “It looks about six, but actually is nearly ten. It is feeble-minded. Perhaps it was born defective, or perhaps it has become imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect.” (pp. 1259) The atmosphere immediately shifts to a dark and sinister feeling, leaving the