Walking Away
I revisitted a short story that I read in a Post-Modern Lit. class. It’s entitled The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas and it is a beautiful telling of the Utopian society of Omelas. It’s also very short, so follow the link and give it a quick read.
As a story I find it unimaginably brilliant. There is no plot, essentially no characters, no theme, only setting. The entire story is a pictorial of Omelas. And I believe that it still has something to tell us.
I don’t believe that I live in Omelas, but I know that many of the things I own, many of the luxuries I enjoy, and the low cost of many of the things I purchase daily are available only because there are children in settings not so different from the one described in the story.
Literature says something to us. It is not frivolous, or elitest, not for the educated lot alone, not simple to be read, critiqued and discussed around a coffee table. Literature, especially the works of women like Ursula LeGuin, and so many others, provides a voice to say to us what would otherwise be unsaid, to speak for those who would otherwise remain silent.
Well, I have a long drive ahead of me today, so that’s all for now. See you again soon!
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