Omelas By Ursula K. Le Guinn Analysis

All that is expected from a utopia is pure bliss and happiness, a perfect world without a single flaw. The city of Omelas, an unblemished environment with people to match with it, has a seemly perfect portrayal on the surface until Omelas’ darkside is revealed. Knowing the foundation of the society reveals that every society and its ethics should be questioned, including our own.
Ursula K. Le Guin’s choice of wording in her short story, brings not only the mysterious city of Omelas to life, but serves as a source of enlightenment. The reader is given an active narrator in the story and is left with many broad uncertainties about Omelas. With the few “known” details of the city itself, the piece demonstrates how willing society is as a whole to accept the misery of a few. It stimulates the mind of
The ending given alludes to the conclusion that it is only best for the people to walk away but in actuality, it could be seen as a form of selfishness. Those who walk away are accepting the fate of Omelas and its source of happiness but feel that there is nothing they can do. The tranquility of the city is dependent on the child and in a sense, nothing can be done. With this mentality, those who disapproved of the city’s scapegoat for joy may have felt an even lesser reason to try and combat against the silent conflict within Omelas. Others could have felt too shocked to do anything but walk away in an attempt to avoid dealing with such an irreparable situation.Those walking away are not helping the child directly but by abandoning the society without the assurance of finding a new one for themselves, the individual could help the remaining citizens of Omelas see the wrong in their “perfect” society and perhaps promote some sort of reform such as the citizens abandoning the city of Omelas