A utopian society. in my mind. is one without disease, crime. or poverty. Asociety in which everyone is happy and free where everything is perfect, A society in which each person can live in his or her own version of paradise or ecstasy. This of course, is impossible and can only be portrayed in fictional stories such as The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. But, is Omelas a utopian society? In this paper I will discuss the elements of utopia present in the community of Omelas, the elements that counter utopia in the community of Omelas, my feelings toward the author’s description of Omelas, and what the child In the broom closet may possibly symbolize. There are definitely strong indications that utopia exists in Omelas. Le Guin begins the short story with a description of Omelas. which fills my mind With images of a kinetic city, with beautiful architecture coupled. With green pastures and clear blue lakes and ponds, birds soaring in warm air, brilliant colors and cheerful music. with happy people having fun and preparing for a festival.
Her description is that of a Utopian society, everything is perfect and everyone is happy. She goes on to describe the citizens of Omelas. who she insists are not a simple fo|k and are happy. These people Were Mature, intelligent, passionate adults, whose lives were not wretched. She describes Omelas as haVing all kinds of man/elous devices not yet invented here, floating light sources, fuelless power, and a cure for the common cold. These are all elements of a utopian society. She explains that everyone in Omelas is joyous and their lives are fillet d With goodness and grace. All of this perfection rests in the hands of one child that looks about six, but is actually around ten. This child is a citizen of Omelas and is very unhappy. Every other citizen of Omelas understands that their happiness. 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 kind weathers of their skies depend wholly upon this childs abominable miseiy.
The thought of this child brings some citizens to tears, They feel disgust, anger, outrage, impotence, despite all of the explanations given to them. The citizens of Omelas are in essence indebted to this child. and are therefore not free. These are all elements that counter the idea of Omelas as a utopian society. The fact that the happiness of some citizens depends wholly upon their consumption of drooz, and that others are so frustrated With the city that they cannot stay any longer also counter this idea. In reading The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas I think it is important to realize that there are two different, mutually exclusive, Ursula K. Le Guins, The first is a short story writer who was educated at Radcliffe College and Columbia University. (P9888). Her other works include The Left Hand of Darkness (1969). Planet of Exile (1966). City of Illusions (1967). and The Dispossessed (1974). The other is Ursula K. Le Guin, the woman who claims she has been to Omelas and is now trying to convince us by giving us a description of the city and its people.
The first is the storywriter. The second is the stoiyteller. In essence, she has indirectly made herself a character in her own short story. I enjoy that aspect of her writing, The Ursula K. Le Guin that I intend to discuss in this text is the character. Imagine for a moment that she. the character, is trying to convmce you, the reader, of this mystical city called Omelas. Would you believe her? I would not. She ! makes me feel like she is trying to sell me something that doesnt work, or something with key elements missing. Like a car With no engine, or backboards Without rims, China Without rice, or hockey games Without fights, crack heads Without pipes, or the holy bible Without Christ, you get the point. She describes this perfect society and then when she feels that you may have doubts she tells you to make up stuff that will help you believe. or make you want to believe.
For instance, on page 890 she writes I feel that Omelas so far strikes you as goody-goody, Smiles. bells. parades. horses, bleh. If so. please add an orgy, If an orgy would help, dont hesitate. It is as if her description is completely made up from the middle of page 890 to the end. This is where she stans adding elements that are intangible. Instead of saying: there is also this in Omelas, she says: let there also be this in Omelas. Its as though she feels that her description has left us ! with a bland sense of this city that she is so passionate about. So she makes up components that she feels would make us love the place as much as she does. If you like sex, there are orgies. and beautiful nudes that Just wander about, offering themselves like dwine souffle to the hunger of the needy and the rapture of the flesh.
If your vise is drugs there is Drooz, which first brings great lightness and brilliance to the mind and limbs. and then after some hours of a dreamy languor. and wonderful visions at last of the very arcane and inmost secrets of the Universe, as well as exciting the pleasures of sex beyond all belief. (PgSQO). After adding all of these ingredients it is as if she thinks she might have overdone it a little bit. Like she feels as if the reader cannot believe in such a place now because it is too good to be true. So she adds an element of evil to balance it out. This. of course, is the story of the poor little child stuck in the b! basement in misery, Even this story has loopholes. She doesn’t know whether it is a boy or a girl, or if it is in the basement of a building or the cellar of a private home. I do the same thing when I get to the end of telling a long story and realize that it is boring and doesn’t have a point, I end it With and then I found twenty dollars. I indulge or modify to make it more exciting and interesting.
Lastly, I will discuss the symbolic meaning of the miserable child in the basement broom closet. Im not sure if there is an actual symbolic meaning. I mean one that is taken from the author’s perspective. This is specifically my feeling. I feel that quite possibly the child may symbolize the suffering of Jesus Christ, And therefore Omelas symbolizes the world. Not just the world in Jesus’ time though, but the world at present. Both the world at present and the text contain orgies, prostitutes, illegitimate children, drugs, beer, and disgust. anger, and outrage, but not much guilt. I do not believe that this is iust coincidence. Within this paper, I have analyzed the elements of utopia present in the community of Omelas, as well as the elements that counter this idea. I have also discussed my feelings toward the author’s description of Omelas, and the possible meaning behind the miserable child in the broom closet. I hope you enjoyed it!
