Omelas Sacrifice

Is the sacrifice of a child worth the happiness of an entire city? “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” is a short story by Ursula Le Guin that examines that question. Abundant joy and happiness resides in the city of Omelas. But all is at the cost of one child’s life. And although everyone knows about the child, most learn to discard the guilt and accept the child’s misery. They would like to do something, but doing so would destroy the happiness of the entire city. But the ones who walk away are different. People walk away from Omelas because; they refuse to accept the child’s misery, they take responsibility for the guilt, and they value the pursuit of justice more than their own joy.
One reason why people walk away from Omelas is because they refuse to except the child’s misery. The city of Omelas believes that the sacrifice of one child’s life is worth the joy of the entire city.
They all know it is there, all the people of Omelas. Some of them have come to see it, others are content merely to know it is there. They all know that it has to be there. Some of them understand why, and some do not, but they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the

Most citizens know about the child, but choose to do nothing. “Every child in Omelas, upon learning of the wretched child, feels disgust and outrage and wants to help. But most of them learn to accept the situation, to view the child as hopeless anyway, and to value the perfect lives of the rest of the citizenry. In short, they learn to reject guilt.” The ones who walk away refuse to burry the guilt and forget about it. Walking away from Omelas means that you are refusing to participate in the joy and happiness so long as it is at the expense of the child. And although you don’t help the child, it somehow rests easier on your consciousness to remove yourself from the