The Main Idea Of The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas?

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a short story by Ursula K Le Guin, published in 1973. The story follows a group of people living in the city of Omelas, an utopian society that is perfect in almost every way. However, there is a sinister secret lurking beneath the idyllic setting—in order for the citizens of Omelas to live in such an idealistic location, a young child living in squalor must remain imprisoned in a dark cellar. In the story, a small number of the citizens choose to “walk away from Omelas” and leave the city in protest of the child’s captivity, becoming the titular “ones who walk away.”

The main idea of The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is the idea of moral responsibility and choice. Although everyone in Omelas benefits from the suffering of the unnamed young child, the story posits that some people are called to make a personal stand against injustice. They have the option of staying in the comfortable yet morally bankrupt society of Omelas, or leaving to confront their conscience and make a statement that their moral code dictate. In the end, Le Guin leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions, allowing them to determine which of the citizens had the courage to do the right thing and walk away from the city.