The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

Reading about the city of Omelas, it sounded almost too good to be true at first. With no need for a leader, police, or anything along those lines, and always being happy without feeling guilt this seemed like the perfect utopia. However, when I found out about the little boy in the cellar my perceptions changed. These people were using this kid as a scapegoat. Much like the lottery, the child was sort of a sacrifice. If the child was not in there suffering the city would supposedly not be brought prosperity. It was because of the kid that their world was allegedly so joyous. The thing that really intrigued me was how they didn’t feel guilty about treating this child to such harsh conditions. As it said at first people would cry but eventually theywould come to realize that if they let this kid free now it would not do much good. I think that is a terrible way to look at the situation. At the end it said how some people left after seeing the child. This may seem better then just staying and putting up with the situation, but I think ultimately these people realized the problem and just avoided it. I don’t think they really did the right thing by walking away. If they saw it as wrong I think they should have made it known and stood up for the problem. Turning your back on a problem is never a fix even though “you” may not see it anymore the problem still persists.