The Characteristics Of Happiness In Shakespeare's The People Of Omelas

The people of Omelas are materialistically happy but are morally unhappy. The narrator implies that happiness is knowing the differences between what are needs, desires, and detriments to a person. Every person alive has basic needs which are deemed necessary, such as sustenance and shelter. All honest humans will admit that they have wants and desires that are not necessary, and many push the limits to attain them. And always there are those who are willing to allow the suffering of others to achieve their own desires. The adults of Omelas are not using just discrimination, and because of their immorality, are not happy.
The people of Omelas are very much like the people of today. Whether they realized or not, people suffer daily only for others to benefit from their efforts. The narrator tells the reader,

Rather than settle with the others and live in an immoral society, they choose another path. They literally walk away from the fake utopia and go out into the unknown. The narrator says, “The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness” (253). The traveler, “each alone” (253), continues to walk away from Omelas with purpose. The beautiful, radiant and familiar life is left behind while they face an uncertain destiny.
This is like the movement back in the 1960’s, when people wanted to break away from society’s pressures and rules. Many focused on bringing awareness of social problems to light and tried to make a difference in others lives. Many tried, and nearly all failed. It is impossible to stop all suffering that people are unwitting participants in. However, each person has a responsibility to try to make a difference. Every intentional decision can somehow alleviate anguish in some way. It is up to every individual to at least try, as did the ones who walked away in the