The Ones Who Walk Away

I really enjoyed this piece. In the beggining of the story I knew there was going to be a catch to this utopian society. The entire happiness of this society is dependant on one child that's made their scapegoat. Most people either accept this truth and live knowing what's actually going on, or make the smart choice of leaving the town and never coming back. Although, the ones who leave are just as guilty as the ones who stay and this is because the one's who leave are allowing such a situation to happen instead of attempting to save this child so everyone can learn some moral values. This story makes me question how much of my happiness is dependant on other people and if I could truely be happy if I was entirely independant and could walk away from it.

The Ones Who Walk Away is connected to 1984 in the sense that both of their happiness is fake. In The Ones Who Walk Away the society's 'happiness' is dependant on one child and it devastates and disturbes many people. No one really speaks of this child and truth either, it's something that's in the back of everyone's mind. In 1984 everyone's 'happiness' is dependant on the government and what they can make from it. Also, no one in 1984 can really speak of what's going on as well.

Some literary devices used are; plot twist, symbolism, and tone. Obviously plot twist is used because the narrator is describing this perfect society with no flaws and you know that something has to be wrong with it and that something bad is going to have to happen. The child is used as symbolism because he sybolizes the society's happiness. Tone is used because you can tell that the narrator doesn't believe in this society and says things like " Do you believe? Do you accept the festival, the city, the joy? No? " because he/she knows that such a society would never exist.

5 Questions:

1. How much of your happiness is dependant on other people?
2. Would you walk away from this society or would you stay?
3. How would you end the story?
4. Why does the narrator think that we believe happiness is stupid?
5. Why do people choose to walk away from Omelas?