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The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas Literary Analysis

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“The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas” The American Author, Ursula K Le Guin has written many novels and short stories in the past. She is most famous for her science-fiction novels and works. “The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas” is a short story based in the utopia city of Omelas. Le Guin tries to convey the idea of being able to live in a utopia only at the sacrifice of a young child’s innocence. Through the short story, Le Guin gives the reader the question: would you be able to live in a utopia knowing that there is a young child suffering for your happiness? Le Guin tells the reader that one should not be able to live in a perfect utopia (Omelas) knowing that the citizens are having to abuse a young child and rip him of his innocence just for the sake of their own happiness. Some may say that the central conflict for “The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas” is man versus man because it is the people of Omelas against the young boy in the closet. However, I would disagree. I believe the central conflict of the story is man versus society. Many of the people of Omelas, specifically the children, are shocked and do not feel as if treating the boy like they do is right. “They feel anger, outrage, impotence, despite all the explanations”(Le Guin, 4). I believe that it is man versus society because many citizens of Omelas do not like the idea …show more content…

The author gives the reader the question of if he/she would be able to live in their perfect utopia if they had the knowledge that a young child was having to suffer in exchange. The possible political stance behind this work leads one to question it more and wonder if there is such thing as our own Omelas in maybe a smaller less harsh form. “The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas” is a very powerful work, and once analyzed, could potentially lead to questions about our presence in the world that we live in

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