The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Le Guin

“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”
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“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Le Guin surrounds a moral ambiguity which reveals the sacrifice of an innocent child as a gateway for the peaceful life and celebration of the Utopian people’s comfort. The fairy-tale raises the moral question of the types of freedom and comfort that people get in the society. In this contest, the children face severe suffering for others’ good lives and celebrations. Therefore, children in the context of the fairy-tale are supposed to absorb the pains, illnesses as well as misery for others to live good lives. Thus, they are used as scapegoats for the suffering that happen in the Utopia town. The essay herein elaborates the societal function that is fulfilled by the child from “The Ones Who Walk away from Omelas” and how it informs the reader’s interpretation of the story.
In order to understand the societal function in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas", getting the structural-functional of Utopia town would be of the great essence. The people's lives in the town are guided by the social structure which determines their behavior. The society is organized in a community-based pattern which celebration rituals conducted as the major social function. However, the Omelas society has a greater extent of irresponsibility with elaboration pragmatism. Instead of the society playing the communal role of helping everybody, they sacrifice a child for their own good. The people of Omelas celebrate as a cover of the ordeal that is experienced in the society. Indeed there is a child who is left alone in a closed room, the child is malnourished and receives half a bowl of cornmeal a day. The perception of the society is that the child has to suffer for their good lives. This kind of behavior even though might be observed as an unruly of the Omelas, they have to proceed the way it is in order for the child to fulfill his role of carrying the societal suffering and pain. In support of the assertion, the Utopians usually bring their children between the age of eight and eleven to see the isolated child of which most of the children shock at the child’s deplorable condition. However, the society as a whole is instructed not to do anything and if any assistance is accorded to the miserable child, the beautiful life full of celebration exhibited by the Omelas would end. Contrarily, some people of Omelas could not conform to the belief instead they believe of the child’s good life and happiness for all. Therefore, they walk away from Omelas leaving for the unknown destinations.
Secondly, the child who is separated from the rest of the society plays reveals the right of individual verses the right of the rest of the society. It is noted that the society has the right to celebrate and have a good life while the child neglected in a poor condition is denied his rights to have a better life. People of Omelas take the decision based on the notion that the child has to suffer for the residents’ happiness. In the audience context, Le Guin reveals this through the use of scapegoat and excites the reader’s mind of the choices tha...