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Ursula K. Leguin's 'Those Who Walk Away From Omelas'

473 Words2 Pages

Walking Away from Happiness In the short story “Those Who Walk Away from Omelas,” the author, Ursula K. LeGuin portrays a utopia in which the good of the many outweighs the misery of the minority. The plot of the story contains a feeble minded ten year old child who is condemned to a broom closet of a stunningly happy and gracious city that is Omelas. According to LeGuin, “…the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children…depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery” (LeGuin, 69). In other words, most of the people who live in Omelas know that the child is there, and they understand why it must be in “abominable misery” in order for the city’s people to remain lighthearted and happy. The reason

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