![]() This doctrine places a heavy emphasis on the well-being of the majority it claims that an action is morally justifiable if it guarantees the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people. Le Guin’s short story illustrates an ethical theory called utilitarianism. Given that happiness in Omelas only comes at the expense of a tortured child, it becomes questionable whether Omelas is truly a utopian society. On the other hand, a few who cannot withstand the injustice choose to abandon their pleasant lives and to walk out of Omelas. Although the visitors feel a momentary sense of indignation at such a corrupted aspect of their society, however, most of them decide to ignore the child and to move on with their lives. Severed from human interactions, fed scanty meals, and isolated in darkness, the child lives in a constant state of despair. Occasionally, young people and adults visit the child and see the tragic conditions it is placed in. If the child were to be set free from the basement it is caged in, the entire city of Omelas would collapse entirely.Įvery citizen knows about the existence of the child. For reasons unspecified, the suffering of one child is necessary to maintain order and peace in the rest of the society. ![]() ![]() Even in this seeming utopia, however, comfort comes at a price. Almost everyone is happy, festive, and peaceful in Omelas, a fictional utopian society depicted in “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. ![]()
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