Style and Technique

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” won the Hugo Award for best short story in 1974. Although the Hugo is an award for science fiction, this story may more accurately be called a fantasy: Science fiction discusses the improbable; fantasy examines the impossible. First published in New Dimensions 3, the story has been widely anthologized since then, notably in Le Guin’s own The Wind’s Twelve Quarters (1975). Le Guin’s work often has sociological or anthropological elements; this can easily be seen in her novels, including The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) and The Dispossessed (1974).

Reliability is a problem for Le Guin’s narrator in this story. At times the narrator does not know the truth and therefore guesses what could be, presenting these guesses as often essential detail. The narrator says “I think” and “I think there ought to be,” rather than telling the reader what is. Asking if the reader believes what he says about the festival, the city, and the joy, or if the ones who walk away are not more credible, implies that the reader should have doubts. Can the narrator be trusted by a reader who is being asked to approve the details of the story? Such questions raise doubts in the reader’s mind about what the narrator is conveying. Only the description of the child itself lacks asides.

The narrator of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” cannot tell a straightforward tale. The story about the summer festival is diverted into a short treatise on happiness, what happiness truly is and how the Omelas citizens have achieved it. This discussion encompasses not only those at the festival, but also those who choose to leave the city. What is happiness? What should one be willing to sacrifice for happiness?

All of the narrator’s questions invite the reader to place himself or herself in the position of the people of Omelas. Do you need this to make you happy? Then you may have it. Once the reader begins to enjoy the city and begins to see its happiness as a good thing, then the reader, like the adolescents in the story, must be shown that on which the happiness depends. Readers must face the question of what they would be willing to sacrifice for happiness, for “the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies.”

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" is an allegorical tale depicting a utopian society where the happiness of Omelas is dependent on the suffering of a single child. In an allegory, numerous symbols and images are employed to convey universal truths about life. For those curious about the location of Omelas, it's interesting to note that Le Guin created the name by reading a roadside sign backward. Therefore, "Omelas" acts as a sort of anagram for Salem, Oregon, though the author has mentioned this detail is not particularly significant. Some critics have remarked on the thematic similarities between this story and the works of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, particularly Crime and Punishment, which also explores moral issues. However, Le Guin has clarified that she only recognized these similarities in hindsight and that Dostoevsky's work was not a significant influence on her story.

The story bears the subtitle "Variations on a Theme by William James." William James, an early 20th-century psychologist and philosopher, was also the brother of the famous novelist Henry James. Le Guin was fascinated by James's theory of pragmatism, which posits that a person's thoughts should direct their actions and that truth is the outcome of one's beliefs. Drawing this theory to its moral implications, she created the world of Omelas. "Omelas" was written during a period of significant political, social, and cultural turmoil in the United States—the late 1960s and early 1970s—which likely influenced Le Guin's crafting of the story.

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" tells the tale of Omelas, a city where everyone appears to live in happiness, peace, and harmony. However, as the story progresses, the narrator discloses that this happiness relies on the existence of a child who is confined to a small, windowless room and is subjected to abuse and mistreatment. While most citizens accept this grim reality, a few individuals choose to leave Omelas forever after witnessing the child's appalling living conditions.

Structure

The narrative is divided into two distinct sections. In the first part, the narrator strives to depict Omelas, acknowledging multiple times that the description falls short and fails to fully capture the city's joy and happiness. In the second part, the narrator unveils the existence of the child, providing a straightforward account of the dreadful conditions it endures.

Narrative

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" is narrated from a first-person perspective. The narrator does not actively participate in the story and lacks special insight into the characters' thoughts. Since the narrator invites readers to contribute to the description of Omelas, he/she is not an objective or reliable observer. For instance, early in the story, the narrator remarks: "I wish I could describe [Omelas] better. I wish I could convince you. Omelas sounds in my words like a city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away, once upon a time. Perhaps it would be best if you imagined it as your own fancy bids, assuming it will rise to the occasion, for certainly I cannot suit you all." As readers are encouraged to form their own visions of Omelas, they become complicit in both the creation of the city and the horrific situation that underpins its society.

Le Guin skillfully manipulates the narrative, and thus the reader, by varying the tenses throughout the story. In the opening paragraph, the narrator recounts the festival using the past tense. As the narrator delves deeper into describing Omelas, the tense shifts to the conditional, which relies on or is contingent upon a condition. Here, the reality of Omelas hinges on the reader's engagement. Eventually, after the third paragraph, the narrative transitions to the present tense. As a result, as Shoshanna Knapp notes in The Journal of Narrative Technique, the reader finds themselves "stuck in the story, to be set free only when a few of the people of Omelas stride out of the land and the story, headed for a country that the narrator cannot describe and that, consequently, may not 'exist.'" The narrator's use of the pronoun "it" to refer to the child further manipulates the reader by dehumanizing the child, making it easier for readers to rationalize the child's mistreatment and abuse.

Allegory

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" is regarded as an allegory—a story in which characters symbolize concepts or abstract ideas to convey a message or teach a lesson. This tale has been interpreted as both a political and religious allegory. The child, sacrificed for the community's benefit, is thought to symbolize the underclass in capitalistic Western societies as well as the underdeveloped nations of the Third World. In capitalist societies, particularly in the United States, the affluence and privilege of the upper class often depend on the exploitation or marginalization of the lower classes. Moreover, some argue that the ongoing prosperity of industrialized Western nations partly results from the exploitation and manipulation of Third World countries. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" has also been viewed as a religious allegory, with some critics suggesting that the child represents a Christ-like figure, sacrificed so that others may live.

Utopia

The story also exemplifies Utopian literature, a genre that depicts an imaginary, ideal world where laws, governance, and social conditions are flawless. Utopian literature often explores the impracticality of Utopian societies and investigates the adverse social, political, and psychological repercussions of such worlds. In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," Le Guin illustrates that the supposed happiness of Omelas comes at a significant cost; the society's existence demands the severe abuse of one child. By presenting this moral quandary, Le Guin compels the reader to grapple with the question of whether morality or happiness holds greater importance.

The narrative unfolds in two distinct sections. Initially, the narrator tries to depict Omelas, acknowledging multiple times that the portrayal falls short of capturing the true joy and happiness of the city. In the latter section, the narrator starkly exposes the existence of a child living in deplorable conditions.

"Omelas" is narrated in the third person by someone who isn't an active participant in the story and lacks special insight into the characters' thoughts. The narrator encourages the reader to contribute to the description of Omelas, making them a subjective and unreliable observer. For instance, early in the story, the narrator admits: "I wish I could describe [Omelas] better. I wish I could convince you. Omelas sounds in my words like a city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away, once upon a time. Perhaps it would be best if you imagined it as your own fancy bids, assuming it will rise to the occasion, for certainly I cannot suit you all." By inviting readers to form their own visions of Omelas, they become complicit in both the creation of the city and the underlying grim reality upon which it is built.

Le Guin skillfully manipulates the narrative—and thus the reader—by shifting tenses throughout the story. Initially, the festival is described in the past tense. As the depiction of Omelas becomes more detailed, the narrative shifts to the conditional tense, suggesting that the reality of Omelas hinges on the reader's involvement. After the third paragraph, the narrative transitions to the present tense. As Shoshanna Knapp noted in the Journal of Narrative Technique, this shift makes the reader feel "stuck in the story, to be set free only when a few of the people of Omelas stride out of the land and the story, headed for a country that the narrator cannot describe and that, consequently, may not 'exist.'" The narrator's use of the pronoun "it" to refer to the child further manipulates the reader by dehumanizing the child, making it easier for readers to rationalize the mistreatment and abuse.

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" is regarded as an allegory, a narrative in which characters symbolize concepts or ideas to convey a message or impart a lesson. This story has been interpreted as both a political and a religious allegory. The sacrificial child, who suffers for the benefit of the community, is thought to symbolize the underclass in capitalist Western societies and the underdeveloped nations of the Third World. In capitalist societies, especially the United States, the wealth and privilege of the upper class are often built upon the exploitation or marginalization of the lower classes. Furthermore, some argue that the ongoing prosperity of industrialized Western countries is partly due to the exploitation and manipulation of Third World nations. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" has also been seen as a religious allegory, with some critics suggesting that the child represents a Christ-like figure, sacrificed so that others might thrive.

The story is also an example of Utopian literature, a genre that depicts an imaginary, perfect world where laws, governance, and social conditions are flawless. Utopian literature often highlights the impracticality of such societies and explores the adverse social, political, and psychological repercussions of Utopian worlds. In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," Le Guin illustrates that the ideal happiness of Omelas comes at a significant cost; the society's existence depends on the severe mistreatment of one child. By presenting this moral quandary, Le Guin compels the reader to ponder what is more valuable: morality or happiness.