the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-short-stories-f

TheOnesWhoWalkAwayfromOmelasUrsulaK.LeGuin1973TheOnesWhoWalkAwayfromOmelasisUrsulaK.LeGuin'sallegoricaltaleaboutaUtopiansocietyinwhichOmelas'happinessismadepossi-blebythesacrificeofonechildforthesakeofthegroup.Inanallegory,manysymbolsandimagesareusedinanattempttoillustrateuniversaltruthsaboutlife.OmelaswasfirstpublishedinthemagazineNewDirectionsin1973,andthefollowingyearitwonLeGuintheprestigiousHugoAwardforbestshortstory.ItwassubsequentlyprintedinhershortstorycollectionTheWind'sTwelveQuartersin1975.LeGuinisknownprimarilyasasciencefictionandfantasywriter,andTheOnesWhoWalkAwayfromOmelasisnotableforbeingoneofthefewshortstoriesofthegenretobewidelyanthologizedincollectionsofgeneralfic-tion.Itisalsonotableforcontainingavaguenessuncharacteristicofmanyshortstorywriters;itsnarratorleavesituptothereadertoimaginemanyofthetown'sdetailsandcharacters.ThestoryissubtitledVariationsonaThemebyWilliamJames.WilliamJameswasanearlytwentieth-centurypsychologistandthesonoftherenownednovelistHenryJames.LeGuinwasin-triguedbyJames'stheoryofpragmatism,whichstatesthataperson'sthoughtsshouldguidehisorheractions,andthattruthistheconsequencesofaperson'sbelief.Takingthistheorytoitsmoralconclusion,shefashionedthelandofOmelas.ReaderslookingforcluesastowherethecityofOmelasislocatedshouldnotethatLeGuindevised174TheOnesWhoWalkAwayfromOmeIathetown'snamebyreadingaroadsidesignback-wards.Thus,OmelasisananagramofSalem,Oregon,afactthattheauthorhasstatedisnotparticularlyrelevant.Somecriticshavenotedthesimilarityofthestory'sideaswiththethemesofRussiannovelistFyodorDostoyevsky,whowroteCrimeandPunishment,anotherworkconcernedwithmorality.ButLeGuinhasstatedthatonlyinretrospectdidthesimilaritiesbetweenhisworkandhersoccurtoher;itwasnotamajorinfluenceinthewritingofthestory.AuthorBiographyUrsulaK.LeGuinisoneofsciencefiction'smostpopularwriters.Sheisalsooneofthegenre'smostrespected.Throughhernovels,whichfeaturefan-tasticuniversesandfictionalsocieties,sheexplorestheideaofdualities.Dualitiesareconceptsthatfeaturetwoopposingforces,likechaosversusorderorharmonyversusrebellion.LeGuinstressestheimportanceofachievingabalancebetweentheseforcesinordertoachievewholenessinlife.HermostfamousnovelsincludetheEarthseatrilogy,TheLeftHandofDarkness,andTheLatheofHeaven,whichexplorethemescommontoallherworks,includingtheaward-winningTheOnesWhoWalkAwayfromOmelas.Someofthesethemesarealienation,liberation,andecological,social,andselfawareness.LeGuinhasalsopub-lishedpoems,children'sbooks,andnovelsforyoungadults.LeGuinwasbornOctober21,1929,inBerke-ley,California,andwasencouragedtowritefromanearlyage.Sheisthedaughterofananthropolo-gistandawriter,andherearlyinterestsincludedCelticandTeutonic(German)mythsalongwiththefantasytalesofHansChristianAndersen,LordDunsany,andJ.R.R.Tolkein.AftergraduatingfromRadcliffeCollegeandColumbiaUniversity,LeGuinmarriedCharlesAlfredLeGuin,ahistori-an.LeGuin'sfirstbook,Rocannon'sWorldwaspublishedin1966.ItwasaboutthefirsthumanbeingswholivedonthefictionalplanetHain,araceofpeoplewhoeventuallycolonizedmanyotherplanets.Thestoryspans2,500years,andconcernsaprotagonistonaquesttodiscoverhisidentityandpurposeinlife.Thisbook,likemanyofherlaterworks,employsvariousformsofpsychicphenome-na,includingtelepathy(thereadingofminds),clairvoyanceandprecognition(theabilitytoseethingsbeforetheyhappen).LeGuinhasgarneredmanyawardsforherwriting.In1970TheLeftHandofDarknesswonboththeNebulaAwardandtheHugoAwardforbestnovel.Thenovelconcernsasocietyofpeoplewhoseidentitieshavenothingtodowiththeirgender.Throughthisliterarydevice,LeGuinexam-inesoneofherfavoritetopics:theideathatunitycanbeachievedthroughthetensioninherentinthedualityofmaleversusfemale.TheTombsofAtuan,oneoftheEarthseanovels,wonaNewberyAwardandaNationalBookAward.TheDispossessed:AnAmbiguousUtopiawonmanyawards,includingaNebulaAward,aJupiterAward,andaJulesVerneAward.ItisanothervolumeinherHainishcycle,whichoriginatedwithRocannon'sWorld,thatcon-traststwoplanets:onewheretheinhabitantsliveresponsiblyandsimply,theotherwherepeoplearedividedbyclassdistinctionsandmaterialposses-sions.Inadditiontoherwriting,LeGuinisactiveinanumberofsocialcausesandisamemberofthehumanrightsgroupAmnestyInternational,aswellastheNatureConservancyandtheNationalOrgani-zationforWomen.PlotSummary'TheOnesWhoWalkAwayfromOmelasopensasthecelebrationoftheFestivalofSummerisgettingunderwayinthecityofOmelas.Thereisanairofgenuineexcitementaboutthefestival,withitsflag-adornedboats,noisyrunningchildren,pranc-inghorses,andgreatjoyousclangingofthebells.Thenarrator,whoneveridentifieshimorher-self,stepsbackfromdescribingthescenetocom-mentthat,Givenadescriptionsuchasthisonetendstomakecertainassumptions....Omelassoundsinmywordslikeacityinafairytale,longagoandfaraway,onceuponatime.However,thenarratorhastenstoadd,thepeo-pleofOmelas''werenotbarbarians.Idonotknowtherulesandlawsoftheirsociety,butIsuspecttheyweresingularlyfew.ThepeopleofOmelasarehappy,andthenarratorexplainshisorherbeliefthatwe(presumablyenlightened,contemporaryVolume2175sTheOnesWhoWalkAwayfrom0meIasUrsulaK.LeGuinwesterners)