The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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At a glance:
- Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
- First Published: 1973
- Type of Plot: Fantasy
- Time of Work: Unspecified
- Setting: The city of Omelas
- 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 1589 words.)
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