Like all people in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” The Child is highly symbolic, serving not only as the scapegoat for the society of Omelas, but as a symbol for scapegoats more generally.
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It experienced happiness enough to understand that it is now suffering. I will be good!” Even though it has been objectified through torturous neglect for years, the child still remembers sunlight and its mother’s voice-thus, it remembers what it was like to be treated like a human being well enough to understand that its current state is inhuman. Even though the child is locked in perpetual suffering, it still protests its situation, pleading with its jailors: “Please let me out. Its body is underdeveloped and covered in festering sores. The child is malnourished and un-socialized. The narrator exclusively uses the pronoun “it” when describing the child, reinforcing the child’s status as an object rather than a subject in its own right. The reader never learns the child’s personal information, in part because it barely has any Omelas has denied it the opportunity to develop personhood.
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Further, every citizen must confront the truth of the child’s miserable existence, as learning about the child is a type of coming-of-age ritual in Omelas. Citizens are only able to experience their happiness because this child suffers. Seemingly, the knowledge that any attempt to alleviate the child’s suffering would be futile motives for their departure.The Child is the awful, shameful secret of Omelas-the secret that everyone knows. They do not subscribe to the dogma of permissible crime. Their decision to leave shows that to them, the life of the child is as important as the lives of the masses. No one seems to be concerned with their destination or whereabouts after they have left. They march out of the city into the darkness with a strong resolve never to come back. Clearly, the beautiful city of Omelas is propped by the suffering of the child, and any attempt to liberate the child would be tantamount to destroying the city.Ī somber mood prevails when the narrator relates the plight of the people who, after beholding the tortured child, choose to walk away. The idea of sacrificing an individual to deliver a pleasurable life to the masses dominates the story. This scenario causes one to wonder whether the child is privy to the reason behind this agonizing existence. It is baffling to imagine that people would comfortably lead happy lives at the expense of a poor child wasting away in seclusion. Therefore, the child is a sacrifice aimed at giving Omelas its pomp and color.
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The residents of Omelas strongly believe that their good fortune depends on the child’s devastating agony. Apparently, they all understand the reason behind the child’s agony. However, as already noted, the narrator does not mention their destination. A considerable number of the residents leave the city after seeing the child. Some simply ignore the child’s suffering while others cry, but do nothing further to help. It turns out that the entire city of Omelas was aware of the child’s plight because most of the city’s residents had seen the child. For argument’s sake, the child could have been a girl.Īs the story unfolds, the narrator delineates the reason behind the child’s suffering, thereby giving insight into the theme of the story. The narrator does not mention the child’s sex but points out that the child is naked and has sore buttocks due to prolonged sitting on her excrement. This child lives on a diet of a half bowl of cornmeal and grease per day. The story assumes a morbid tone when the narrator describes a sad scenario about a young child who is locked in an unkempt dark cellar with little room for movement. Consequently, it became apparent that Omelas is a corrupt society in which pleasure is sought without any consideration of its possible ramifications. Intriguingly, the dwellers of Omelas do not revolt against such behavior.
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Peace and happiness abound in the midst of corruption, thriving drug business, and weird sexual escapades, which involve the religious class as well. However, the blissful impression begins to wane when the narrator discloses that some ills such as prostitution are tolerated in the city. The city enjoys a peaceful and harmonious coexistence. The initial impression that the story creates is augmented by the idea that unlike prosperous cities of the world that thrive under slavery and dictatorship, Omelas has no king, police, or slaves. There is great music, and both the young and the old tread the beautiful streets in dance. For example, in the first paragraph, the narrator depicts the serenity that is characteristic of the city in the morning.