Analysis - The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

In the short story “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin, the theme is that in order to be truly happy, one must stand up for what’s right, even if it means leaving what they know. Society often creates traditions and ways of thinking that are not easy for everyone to follow. Here, the residents of Omelas have the choice to ignore the suffering of a child locked in a cellar, or leave the life and city they are familiar with. The people of Omelas ask themselves whether it is better a child suffer for the city’s happiness, or should the city suffer, permitting the child a chance for happiness? The irony here is Omelas seems like a great, happy town, however they treat this feeble-minded child horribly.
The protagonist in this story is the child who is locked in the cellar. It is unclear whether child is a boy or a girl. Almost 10 years old, the child looks 6, very thin, and hardly speaks. The child is naked with a ‘mass of festered sores’ on its bu...