“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” :“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” Ursula K. Le Guin


Thank you to Natasha Arnold for supplying the information for this presentation. :Thank you to Natasha Arnold for supplying the information for this presentation.


Ursula K. Le Guin :Ursula K. Le Guin Born October 21st, 1929 Berkeley, CA; has lived in Portland, OR since 1958 Education: B.A., Radcliffe College in (1951) M.A. Columbia University (1952) studied in France where she met Charles Le Guin, whom she married in 1953 Genre: Science fiction/fantasy


Ursula K. Le Guin :Ursula K. Le Guin Works focus more on the sociological and anthropological sides of societies in science fiction “Soft” science fiction Writing uses alien cultures to make points about human society Makes use of ordinary events or actions


Ursula K. Le Guin :Ursula K. Le Guin No civilizations in her works have faster-than-light travel, or strange alien technology, unlike most hard science fiction Invented the concept of the “ansible,” a device that allows instant communication over any distance


Slide 6:What is a fair price to pay for Utopia?


Plot :Plot “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”


Plot :Plot The story is divided into two fairly distinct sections.


Plot :Plot In the first section, the narrator attempts to describe Omelas even though he/she notes more than once that the description is inadequate and does not capture the true joy and happiness of Omelas.


Plot :Plot In the second section, the narrator reveals the existence of the child and matter-of-factly describes the awful conditions in which it is forced to live.


Plot :Plot Omelas initially seems to be Utopia: everyone is happy Narrator acknowledges the naïve and unrealistic nature of such happiness, especially for thinking adults


Plot :Plot Question: Why would anyone be suspicious of widespread happiness? The idea of happiness, and in particular the happiness of an entire city, may be a suspect concept to others.


Plot :Plot Question: Why would anyone be suspicious of widespread happiness? Happiness implies a kind of innocence and foolishness and lacks the complexities that are most often attributed to pain and evil impulses.


Plot :Plot The narrator insists that the people of Omelas lead complex lives and… have all necessities and some luxuries may lack all luxuries, but they do not feel deprived. understand what is necessary, what is destructive, and what is both or neither.


Plot :Plot Omelas is a joyful city inhabited by mature, intelligent, passionate adults. Their lives are not wretched, nor are they puritanical.


Plot :Plot But Omelas has a dark secret… Readers grow suspicious…


Plot :Plot Eventually the narrator reveals the price for which the happiness and splendor of the city is paid: One child is kept locked up in a small cell underground in utter misery.


Plot :Plot The city's great happiness, its splendors and health, its architecture, music, and science, all are dependent on the misery of this one child. If the child is treated with any kindness, all the prosperity of Omelas will wither away and destroy the town.


Plot :Plot The narrator says that everyone in the city is aware of the situation and most accept it after a period of outrage


Plot :Plot A few people who cannot accept the terms guaranteeing the thriving of Omelas choose to leave forever.


Character :Character “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”


The citizens of Omelas :The citizens of Omelas Described as being happy, nonviolent, passionate and intelligent The narrator states that although they are happy, they are not simple, irresponsible or naïve; they are mature and intelligent people


The citizens of Omelas :The citizens of Omelas No rulers or slaves Implied to be incredible artists, scientists, architects, and musicians due to the sacrifice of the child


The citizens of Omelas :The citizens of Omelas They all know of the child’s existence and the conditions concerning the child’s imprisonment and Omelas’ prosperity


The Child :The Child The child is stated to look around the age of six, although it is closer to ten years old Stated that the child “could be boy or a girl.” Naked, dirty, and malnourished


The Child :The Child Possibly born with a mental defect, or, due to its environment and lack of human contact, has become wildly undeveloped mentally


The Child :The Child Receives half a bowl of corn meal and grease a day Sits in its own excrement in a windowless cell described as being two paces wide and three paces long Kicked in order to wake up to be fed


The Child :The Child Sacrificed so the people of Omelas can be happy


Setting :Setting


The city of Omelas :The city of Omelas Festival of Summer - air of genuine excitement about the festival flag-adorned boats, noisy running children, prancing horses, and "great joyous clanging of the bells."


The city of Omelas :The city of Omelas City next to the sea, with mountains in the distance Has fantastically beautiful architecture The beauty and life of the city depends on the suffering of one child kept in a squalid underground cell


The city of Omelas :The city of Omelas Name “Omelas” is irrelevant: Le Guin stated that she came up with the name while she was driving down a highway and looked in her mirror and saw the reflection of a sign for Salem, Oregon; she read it backwards as “Omelas” and she has stated that it is not relevant to the story


Point of View :Point of View “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”


The narrator :The narrator Not a citizen of Omelas unclear whether narrator has even been to Omelas as he/she is unfamiliar with all the laws and customs of the city


The narrator :The narrator Seems to hold Omelas in an extremely high regard and finds it difficult to adequately describe the happiness of the city the narrator may not be a reliable or objective observer


The narrator :The narrator States the description of the child and its conditions very matter-of-factly Invites the reader to envision Omelas as he or she chooses, but has a clear pro-Omelas bias Omelas


The narrator :The narrator Shifts from past tense in the beginning to the conditional tense as the narrator describes Omelas in further detail and to the present tense in the third paragraph Tense manipulates the readers’ perception


Theme :Theme “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”


Theme :Theme William James (1842 - 1910), philosopher, psychologist, and doctor, made a statement that inspired Le Guin to write the story… (see next slide) Theme: Acceptance of Evil


Theme: Acceptance of Evil :Theme: Acceptance of Evil “Some people could not accept universal prosperity and happiness if it depended on the deliberate subjugation of an idiot child to abuse it could barely understand.”


Theme: Acceptance of Evil :Theme: Acceptance of Evil William James theorized that most people, if presented with the Omelas situation, would reject it


Theme: Acceptance of Evil :Theme: Acceptance of Evil Le Guin, in creating Omelas, imagined a place where most people accepted the situation in order to explore why they would avoid/reject moral responsibility


Theme: Acceptance of Evil :Theme: Acceptance of Evil In the story, those who leave go mostly unnoticed and their actions are not understood


Theme: Acceptance of Evil :The ones who walk away make no attempt to take the child away with them. They choose to leave it to its suffering, fear, and pleading. Evil is accepted on the universal level, even if individuals choose to reject it Theme: Acceptance of Evil


Theme: Social Classes :Theme: Social Classes Possible political allegory: Western capitalist society child = working class citizens of Omelas = the wealthy Happiness of Omelas (the wealthy) depends on the misery of the child (the working class)


Theme: Social Classes :Theme: Social Classes Poor, underprivileged people are often exploited and overlooked by a wealthy and prosperous minority.


Theme: Morality :Theme: Morality Le Guin examines the moral responsibility of writers and readers by composing a story in which the narrator tries to entice the reader into taking part in the creation of Omelas.


Theme: Morality :Because the reader is told to imagine Omelas "as your fancy bids," the reader is lulled into accepting Omelas and the horrible premise on which it is founded. Theme: Morality


Theme: Morality :Therefore, the reader, like the citizens of Omelas, can either accept the society or reject it out of moral indignation. Theme: Morality


Theme: Victimization :Theme: Victimization The victim, the child, is a scapegoat


Theme: Victimization :Theme: Victimization The Narrator provides no logical explanation of how this situation was created, who sets the rules, or how the terms are enforced.


Theme: Victimization :Theme: Victimization According to the “terms,” if the child were to be treated with kindness, “all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed.” Does this remind you of another story we read?


Theme: Victimization :Theme: Victimization We saw a similar theme in “The Lottery” Blind acceptance of tradition—faith in a cruel ritual Does this remind you of another story we read?


Guilt and Innocence :According to the Narrator… there is no guilt in Omelas. the people would like to do something for the child, but feel there is nothing they can do. Guilt and Innocence


Guilt and Innocence :Guilt? Given the reactions of disgust and outrage once the people see the child locked up and in misery, it seems there is indeed guilt. Guilt and Innocence


Guilt and Innocence :More Guilt? The fact that some people are unable to accept the conditions of the continued prosperity of Omelas and choose to leave in protest, seems to confirm guilt exists in Omelas, even if temporarily. Guilt and Innocence


Common Themes :Common Themes Look for common themes among stories…”The Veldt,” “The Lottery” etc… Make connections!


End of Presentation :End of Presentation