Ursula Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" can be interpreted as a commentary on capitalistic society and the ignorance of the upper class to the strife of the lower class. In this sense, "Omelas" is allegorical in nature, meant to reveal the dilemma of an uneven economic system. If we analyze Le Guin's story through this lens, we can draw similarities between the citizens of Omelas and people of the middle to upper class. These individuals seemingly live in a utopian society, however, the very nature of their ease of living is dependent upon the suffering of a singular individual (the lower class). The following passage from the story shows support for this analysis:
They all know that it has to be there. Some of them understand why, and some do not, but they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery.
The people of Omelas understand the presence of this individual, yet they do nothing about it. The ones that are most impacted by the presence of this child choose to simply walk away from Omelas. They don't fight back against the system, nor do they voice their opinions of it. In this way, Le Guin is recognizing those who do not speak out against economic injustices, and she, perhaps, is even calling them out. "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," then, can also be interpreted as a call-to-action.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
What is an analysis from The Ones who walk away from Omelas?
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