The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas By Ursula K. Le Guin

In the short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin, the author paints a picture that is ethically controversial. The story shows a small utopian society that is positioned near a glistening sea, it is called Omelas. At the beginning, the people are celebrating an annual event called the summer festival; at the festival, adults play games and there is horse riding for the children. At first glance, Omelas seems like the typical picturesque utopian city, however, underneath all the glamor lies the real truth. At the core of Omelas, a suffering child exists who has been locked in a cage and summoned to live in its own disease. All of the adults that reside in Omelas are aware of the child's existence, but only a few visit,
and none speak to it. The child serves as a major significance to the town because it shows how ruthless justice can be and it also gives a foundation for the people of Omelas to base their lives off of. By the ending of the story, some people, both young and old, decide to leave Omelas through its gates, never to return. The scenario described in Le Guin's work challenges an ethical dilemma about what's morally right and wrong. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant and Plato have evaluated situations similar to the one posed in Le Guin's story. All in all, Kant, being an advocate for moral obligation, would more than likely view this situation with different regards in oppose to a man like Plato who disapproves the democratic system.