Why do the citizens of Omelas have to be made aware of the
existence of the child in the basement?
Omelas is all about the continued happiness of it’s people and the culture that they hope to cultivate. They realize however that happiness may only be appreciated if you know what the other side of the coin is. That is to say that happiness could not be appreciated if they did not know that the grass is greener on their side of the field. In order to understand how truly good their life is they must look onto another who has suffered greatly. In my opinion it’s a lot like how Americans say things like “Well you have a roof over your head, and food to eat.” They say this to remind themselves of all of the amenities that they have in their life and through recognizing them they are able to appreciate how lucky they are to live here. Or at least cease pessimistic thoughts from staining their outlook.
On a side note, almost a counter-argument to that, my reply to that particular line of thought has always been “It’s not about what you have, it’s about what you want.” I think that this has mostly been my way of recognizing and not tamping down the emotions of others who express their dissatisfaction with their current situation. I’m not sure where I learned this from. Probably a mentor doing the same to me at some point.
What does walking away from Omelas represent? Which option do
you think Le Guin believes is the right choice – staying in Omelas or
walking away? Which option would you pick? Why?
Walking away from Omelas could mean a few things. I’ll go over two of my theories. My first is that walking away from Omelas means removing yourself from the current culture when you begin to see it’s flaws. Taking yourself out of the system and going elsewhere so that you may not have to interact with it. I would consider this particular representation escapism. Or at the very least negligence, a removal of yourself so as not to attempt to fix the problems within ones community and remove any responsibility one has for it.
My other theory on leaving Omelas is that it represents the expansion of one’s own world experience. I think that the line about what is beyond Omelas being worth seeing is about the search for an expanded mind. Seeking out something new from what one has always known and choosing to experience both the good and the bad in turns. In truth, there is much beauty in that, the beauty in life’s frustrating and even upsetting moments. Allowing yourself to find the pockets of happiness in those moments may make those moment even sweeter, almost like the diamond in the rough metaphor. You’ll be impressed even more by the moments you perceive as special because you earned them by going through the rest.
The tone that Le Guinn takes upon speaking about the walk away from Omelas makes me feel as if they believe that walking away is the right choice. It’s been romanticized in it’s description. I believe that walking away would remove the option in one’s life to help the child or to continue upon the previous points, to rectify the flawed parts of one’s community. I’m not sure which I would choose. Had I been raised in Omelas I think it is likely that I would have chosen to stay, as they are taught from a very young age that this is a necessary evil, and nurture is a powerful thing. On the other hand I think that I have some legitimate personality quirks that would make me turn against my upbringing no matter what it was, striking out in some form of fashion, and in some ways in my life I already have walked away from where I was raised, avoiding the place, not necessarily the people, like the plague. If I were to come to Omelas as an adult however, I think it changes the equation completely. I truly believe that by the time I would be seeking out a place like Omelas the world would have broken me down enough to accept it’s faults. I see this as a very similar line of thought to how people decide to live in the suburbs, they of course, are never perfect, but there is just enough of that glimmer to make you decide to join in. Ignoring the flaws that that suburb or small town might have in favor of a comfortable rest of your life.
Good job restating the questions and organizing your words into separate paragraphs
I agree when you pointed out people that chose to live suburban areas and how you compared the two. I also agree with wanting to separate yourself from a place where you were born not because of the people, but the plague of it.
This is a lovely post.