Dec 25, 2009

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas | The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

At a glance:

Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
First Published: 1973
Type of Plot: Fantasy
Time of Work: Unspecified
Setting: The city of Omelas
Principal Characters: The narrator, The child in the closet
Genres: Short fiction, Fantasy
Subjects: Children, Good and evil, Life, philosophy of, Utopias, Happiness
Locales: Omelas

The Story

Omelas is a utopian city where the people lead lives that are happy, in the best sense of the word. On the day on which the narrator is focusing, the city's people are celebrating the summer festival. The children ride willing horses in races and race about the fields in their bare feet. The day is bright and clear, music of all kinds fills the air, bells ring, and the air itself is sweet.

The narrator is conscious of the fact that the idea of happiness, and in particular the happiness of an entire city, may be a suspect concept to others. Happiness implies a...

[The entire page is 1367 words long]

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas | The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

At a glance:

The Story

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