The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Contemplative
Thought provoking
Meaningful

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

Some inhabitants of a peaceful kingdom cannot tolerate the act of cruelty that underlies its happiness. The story 'Omelas" was first published in 'New Dimensions 3' (1973), a hard-cover science fiction anthology edited by Robert Silverberg, in October 1973, and the following year it won the prestigious Hugo Award for best short story. The work was subsequently printed in Le Guin's short story collection 'The Wind's Twelve Quarters' (1975).
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Reviews

Photo of Paz
Paz@pazingaa
4.5 stars
Mar 8, 2025

Short read but very good! Kind of traumatising icl but also hopeful? and inspiring? Read it because of the references made to it by BTS in their Spring Day music video and was pleasantly surprised! Have read it a few times - would read again! Wish it was longer tbh

Photo of eris
eris@eris
5 stars
Jan 29, 2025

sinthomosexual

Photo of zee
zee@conchasairi
4 stars
Jan 18, 2025

had to take my time and skim through it once, then come back a day later and it all made sense to me.

Photo of Kate B-L
Kate B-L@librarycard
5 stars
Jul 24, 2024

This will haunt me in all the ways that The Giver does.

+6
Photo of Kirsten Kim
Kirsten Kim@kirstenkim
5 stars
Jul 22, 2024

thought provoking yet captivating, & well written yet straightforward. perfect imo

Photo of lala
lala@polijus
4 stars
Jun 3, 2024

This short story with a simple premise has deep implications on the world it told. In a few pages, Le Guin asks us to imagine a utopia where people enjoy the happiness and joy without pain— save for a child who is locked away, forever in pain, malnourished and devoid of freedom. Should the suffering of the child be neglected as to keep the rest of the people happy? Le Guin asks us to ponder upon this question in this short story. A great and impactful story in just a handful of pages.

Photo of zatul
zatul @zatulasma
3 stars
Apr 24, 2024

cute

Photo of Maria
Maria@nocturnes
4 stars
Apr 2, 2024

there’s so much stored in so few pages, it’s incredibly chilling and i think i won’t stop thinking about it for a while. a worthy read. also a recurrent thought of ursula le guin’s that i always appreciate: “The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can't lick 'em, join 'em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else.”

Photo of Isabella
Isabella @iscbella
5 stars
Mar 13, 2024

a very short, but thought-provoking story. this story could be related in real life which makes it even more interesting and disturbing. it shows that even if we are aware of the injustices in the world, even if we feel sad and mad about it, how will we react to it if that 'injustice' is the reason we are living happily and content? it's brilliant. so impactful. very haunting. i love it. a must read!

Photo of ash b
ash b@thevideodept
5 stars
Feb 27, 2024

Now do you believe in them? Are they not more credible? But there is one more thing to tell, and this is quite incredible.

Photo of Sarah Pitts
Sarah Pitts@sez
4 stars
Jan 9, 2024

so good. "The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting." what makes a happy story less literary or compelling? why must there be pain or sorrow or something tragic to assert that i am interesting and intellectual?

Photo of moz
moz@mozayr
3 stars
Jan 7, 2024

3.5/5 "The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates of considering happiness as something stupid." A city in which the happiness is completely dependent on a child's misery. It had such a good concept, kinda wished that it was longer. This to me in a sense is a commentary on the working class, the beautification of countries/cities is fully dependent on the working class. The working class continues to live in misery while making others happy. “But they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery.” Also, can i mention how good the ending line was??? "The place they go toward is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.”

Photo of isa/bella
isa/bella@belb
5 stars
Jan 6, 2024

is this the single best short story ever written in the entire history of mankind????? perhaps.

Photo of g.
g.@georgias
4 stars
Jun 27, 2023

this hit me in the feels for some reason

Photo of Denisse Garcia Ramírez
Denisse Garcia Ramírez @den_gr
3 stars
Jun 21, 2023

Good story, but somehow expected a bit more development behind it all. That’s my bad tho

+3
Photo of Misha
Misha@yagudin
5 stars
Mar 9, 2023

Despite the not only wrong but repugnant argument, I got a lot from this short story: (1) how a crucial consideration might feel; (2) an example of persuasive principled reasoning; (3) how people fall into flawed "for all good against all evil"/applause lights.

Photo of jen
jen@seastruck
4 stars
Mar 7, 2023

this was the first short story i’ve read in .. maybe ever. and i loved it. took me a few paragraphs to get into the writing style but then i was hooked. not much happens and there’s a beauty in that

Photo of faye
faye@chocodaawg
5 stars
Feb 1, 2023

stunning

Photo of Midori Kobayashi
Midori Kobayashi@snortingpages
5 stars
Jan 22, 2023

this book (short story i should say) poses the ever green ethical conundrum- is the suffering one person justified if it brings a greater good/happiness to every other person ever. several moral philosophers/authors have asked this question before and while the gut instinct is always no- one does have that tiny little doubt at the back of their head that isn't the greater good of the society far more valuable than the happiness of a single person? but again can one's moral conscience actually allow them to subject someone to eternal damnation? i don't think so but this is what i will be thinking about tonight.....

Photo of Julia
Julia@juliah
1 star
Jan 8, 2023

A short story ultimately describing the Trolley Problem. While Le Guin credits those who inspired her, ultimately she just poses the same question in a slightly different way. She gives some detail about the setting but not a lot and ultimately the details are pretty irrelevant since they don't change the core of the situation. Also, I found her writing style awkward and long-winded. Her comment about how only suffering is viewed as intellectual and happiness as trivial did stick with me though.

+3
Photo of andrea
andrea@adolin
4 stars
Dec 14, 2022

gorgeous, gorgeous writing. i need to read everything by ursula k. le guin

Photo of Jenna
Jenna@jenkew
5 stars
Nov 9, 2022

howd this seven page short story make me feel more than 600+ page novels

Photo of Chaïmae
Chaïmae@phiii
5 stars
Oct 3, 2022

“Omelas already exists: no need to build it or choose it. We already live here – in the narrow, foul, dark prison we let our ignorance, fear, and hatred build for us and keep us in, here in the splendid, beautiful city of life…”

— UKL

+5
Photo of Mohamed gamal
Mohamed gamal@mohamedgamal346
5 stars
Aug 31, 2022

A masterpiece , must read ♥️

Highlights

Photo of Aurore
Aurore@dawnreads

Omelas already exists: no need to build it or choose it. We already live here – in the narrow, foul, dark prison we let our ignorance, fear, and hatred build for us and keep us in, here in the splendid, beautiful city of life. . . .

Photo of Aurore
Aurore@dawnreads

The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting.

This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else.

Photo of kira
kira@bokchoy

Their tears at the bitter injustice dry when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality, and to accept it. Yet it is their tears and anger, the trying of their generosity and the acceptance of their helplessness, which are perhaps the true source of the splendor of their lives.

Photo of kira
kira@bokchoy

Happiness is based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive.

Photo of jen
jen@seastruck

but to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else

Photo of Chaïmae
Chaïmae@phiii

“The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else. We have almost lost hold; we can no longer describe a happy man, nor make any celebration of joy.”

Page 6
Photo of Chaïmae
Chaïmae@phiii

“I fear that Omelas so far strikes some of you as goody-goody. Smiles, bells, parades, horses, bleh. If so, please add an orgy. If an orgy would help, don’t hesitate.”

Page 7
Photo of isabella
isabella@carrotsaresour

Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.

Photo of 𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮
𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮@caffeineand

The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting.