Themes: The Choice Between Complicity or the Sacrifice of Utopia
We are ultimately left with a final question, which serves as the crux of this short story: can our collective happiness and well-being be justified if the profound suffering of others is the cost? When the citizens of Omelas learn about the child, a choice ultimately emerges: do they remain in this utopia, becoming complicit in the act of cruelty that serves as its foundation, or do they reject this calculus and leave the city entirely?
Each individual must ultimately grapple with the fact that their own happiness is built upon someone else's profound suffering and weigh whether they can, from a moral perspective, remain within that community. It is particularly notable, however, that this alternative place is a place which is entirely beyond the narrator's ability to describe—a place even more unimaginable than Omelas itself, and one which might not truly exist at all.
Expert Q&A
Why do some people choose to stay in Omelas?
Some people choose to stay in Omelas because they are able to justify their choice to trade one child's misery and suffering for their own happiness. Thousands of people in Omelas experience contentment and beauty because this one child endures, and the people who stay become comfortable with this trade.
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas", why do leavers go alone?
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," those who leave the city do so alone because they are deeply affected by the moral implications of the child's suffering, which underpins the city's happiness. Unlike most citizens who accept this as necessary and overlook the child's pain, the leavers cannot reconcile their conscience with the societal norm and choose solitude over complicity. Their solitary departure signifies personal moral awakening and rejection of Omelas's ethical compromise.
Motivations and Choices in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," individuals leave the utopian city because they cannot reconcile their happiness with the suffering of a child, whose misery is essential for the town's prosperity. Those who remain justify the situation, believing the child cannot benefit from freedom. The ones who leave, unable to accept this moral compromise, choose an uncertain future over complicity. While both groups are disturbed by the child's plight, those who leave prioritize conscience over comfort.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.
Themes: The Relationship Between Happiness and Suffering
Themes: Moral Dilemmas and Sacrifice
