LeGuin's Omelas

Living out Omelas In Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” we find ourselves faced with a moral dilemma. What is it that we as people base our happiness on? The idea of societal and personal happiness is played out through the analogy of Omelas and the abandoned child. In this story, we are drawn into Le Guin’s world by use of her vivid descriptions. Le Guin pulls us into Omelas …

…have a great effect on the reader. By wanting to live in Omelas and relating to its characters, the reader is forced to ask moral questions of herself/himself. Could one philosophically and humanly live with the strict conditions of happiness in Omelas? The reader is left to draw his/her own conclusion by referring to his/her own life experiences. Closing the book doesn’t end the story. Some believe Omelas is here today.