They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back. By choosing to leave the city, they are making a statement that no one person should suffer for the good of the people: “They go on. The ones who walked away from Omelas represent morality in the story. The reactions of the people to learning of the child is also a very important symbol. She wants the reader to realize that things happen for a reason and it was the best thing to do for the citizens and the city to imprison the child. People all around the world are in misery and neglect, but cannot always be saved from what is happening to them. Le Guin is trying to say that in society today not everyone can be happy and live a wonderful life. The happiness of the city depends on the child’s grief: “Some of them understand why, and some don’t, but they all understand 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 kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery” (211). The people of Omelas lock the child in a basement, representing a prison for the child and the idea of him being homeless with no one to turn to. The child is a representation of being poor and shows misery. In Omelas, they sacrifice the happiness of one child to suffering so that the rest of the city can obtain happiness. The child in the basement is this person. Even though it is a utopian society there will always be one person who is not as happy as everyone else there. The point of a utopia is that everyone that lives in it has a perfect life and is capable to fulfill it. The people that live in Omelas felt that it was good to be happy in a city where anything is possible. O miracle! but I wish I could describe it better” (209). They were mature, intelligent, passionate adults whose lives were not wretched. The people of Omelas have these qualities: “How can I tell you about the people of Omelas? They were not naive and happy children- though their children were happy. The city itself represents how people in modern society want to live in this utopia where everyone is happy, joyous, and carefree. The city of Omelas is the setting of the story, and has great significance to the people and ideas around it. By depicting a seemingly utopian society, LeGuin is commenting on the fact that no society is perfect, and in fact, someone always must suffer for the happiness of others. Le Guin, creates some complex symbols in the city of Omelas itself, the ones who walk away, the child in the basement, the child who never stops playing the flute, and the ones who stay in Omelas. Lighthiser English- E 29 April 2013 Why the Child? In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, symbolism is used throughout the entire story.
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