Analyzing Utilitarianism in LeGuin's 'Omelas'

A moral dilemma consists in a choice between two conflicting values, and the decision made may result in guilt and remorse. As reasonable people we are able to assess our own values in regards to our actions. In her text, “The ones who walk away from Omelas” Ursula K. LeGuin describes a Utopia characterized by its happiness and beauty. The child shown in the story is used by LeGuin to symbolize and criticize the members of today’s society moral dilemma about happiness based on utilitarianism—doctrine that states that all people endeavor to be happy and strive to satiate themselves. With the use of vivid imagery throughout her story, LeGuin was able to capture audience emotions. this essay will analyze and explain how the scenario in “The ones

who walk away from Omelas” has relevance to real world situations and also how it exposes moral weaknesses between the personal and the social within our own society.
LeGuin begins the short story with a description of Omelas, beautiful architecture coupled with green pastures and clear blue lakes and ponds, birds soaring in warm air, brilliant colors and cheerful music, with happy people having fun and preparing for a festival. She goes on to describe the citizens of Omelas, who she insists are not a simple folk, and that are happy. She describes Omelas as a perfect Utopia, but all of this perfection rests in the hands of one child who is isolate from society. The descriptions used to express the child’s situation gives an image of a deprived, unloved, and underfed being. LeGuin shows this society whose ethics were based on the assumption that the treatment of the child was correct, equitable, and ethical since it gives them the benefits of happiness.
The first example that LeGuin shows as a moral dilemma throughout Omelas is the dualism and contrast where there is no good without bad to define it.

According to the editor, Deirdre McCormick who analyzed LeGuin’s story he compared “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” to America consumerism. “America is nowhere near utopian” McCormick states, “but it is comparable in that consumerism in American society is built on the suffering of others” he adds, trying to say that there are poor people working in factories in order to fulfill rich expectations of needs (6). America is see as the land of opportunities and success, and it is true, but at the same time poverty and cruelty are present, such as in Omelas the children represents those people and countries who are living in devastating conditions for the good of the superior social class. For example, all products and services, enjoyed by the consumer and profited by the capitalist are made through the toil of the laborer, whose only benefit is a meager salary, not enough to support himself and his family’s needs. Nonetheless, there a segment of society who refrain from formulate their own perception of what is right and wrong. However, those who are against the ethics are the ones who leave to find their suited thoughts. This notion is exemplified in Omelas in the quote, “They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back” where some people disgusted by what they have seen decide that departure is

the best solution.
Another good point that should be made from LeGuin’s story is the narrator being part of society, more specific, he or she is the child that is isolate i.e. he or she is the one explaining the situation from his or her personal perspective. The narrator during the entire story switch from integrate his or herself to the society, with the use of we, our, us, the narrator is showing his or her feeling of integration, but at the same time the narrator use they, their, and refer to the citizens of Omelas as “the people”. This shows that the narrator could be the child, because he or she feel part of the society and excluded from it at the same time. David Émile Durkheim, a French sociologist, social psychologist and philosopher explains in detail the duality of the human nature where the personal and the social side of each individual are not only “substantially different, but they are, to a large extent, independent of each other, often even in conflict” which can be represented by the narrator from the story, who feel socially part from Omelas, but at the same time personally apart because of their injustices (36). This example shows how society work, people know what type of problems they have, but the natural human behavior keep them from have a connection ad for instance be affected. People decide to avoid any contact or connection to problems in order to not feel a moral responsibility, by LeGuin the narrator to represent the child, she is arguing that the child knows how everyone feels towards him or her, but at the same time the child is used to these treatment, because for Omelas is socially accepted, even though is not personal accepted.
The story “The ones who walk away from Omelas” is an example of today’s social critic.

Minorities and poverty are being treated as a secondary role in society, to the point where their suffering is the happiness of others. Even if the problem is noticeable, only a small part of society would fight against this moral dilemma, of what is right and wrong for each individual. The sad part of these situations is that, as in the story, people decide to leave the problem aside and find another path, instead of solving the problem. The child in the story could represent from common problems to wide problems in our society: poverty, child labor or traffic, contamination, are some examples of world problems that people decide to ignore. The style Ursula K LeGuin used allows us to our criteria to evaluate and create our own meaning of this Utopia. A different, but unique style to get people’s attention of what we are doing wrong, and be able to create a message that fulfills different perspectives, according to everyone’s

situation.