Of course, everyone except the secluded child has the choice to either stay in this false city of happiness or to simply walk away from the city to an uncertain more significant hopeful future. Nevertheless, as much as I want to save the child from its misery that action in trying to change the balance of the child’s suffering against the joy of the people is a more complex moral dilemma. Omelas is to be represented as an absolute place of happiness for instance, the citizens can have what they most desire. In addition, the people have good homes, decent jobs, health, the support of family and friends. For these reasons, who wouldn’t want to live in a society where the environment is peaceful?
“We are pleading. We are begging you” (9) Oedipus comes across as an innocent man and is in need of help and is shameless to admit it. “then- only then will we find release from our suffering” (9). Oedipus is seen as just wanting to do best for his city and he is desperate to do so. He is suffering with the people and wants to put an end to everyone’s suffering.
In the assertion ‘all people are good, but it’s the external forces of society that make a man evil’ I immediately think of the ‘Ballad of Joe Meek’. Joe Meek was generally a ‘good’ person before his encounter with the police officers. He had good intentions by telling the police officers they were wrong for putting their hands on the young woman, but the blatant disrespect the police officers showed him changed his outlook. The actions taken by the police officers stand as the external forces or catalysts for Joe Meek’s violent rampage. Back in our ‘Rise of Man’ unit, many people in the class agreed that the quality that makes man is the ability to be shaped by our experiences.
All three are happy in the rela tionship they have with one-another. However, one day, he was told, "Now look here, we don't want any more trouble from you, but if ever we see you near those girls again, you'll find yourself up before a magistrate" (57). Ernest is deprived his life, w hat makes him happy. He is deprived the only friendship he has because the unwritten social code suggests that a man such as himself befriending young girls as such means that he is a paedophile. The detectives interfere with his life.
These emotions provide insight into why mankind has continued to function for generations without becoming extinct, as good has constantly triumphed bad. If there was evil everywhere, society would not function like it does today, and people would constantly be committing crimes in order to better themselves In essence, evil exists and poor behaviour does occur, however; history proves that these outbursts are the exception, not the rule. Despite the existence of immorality, humankind is considered good to a significant extent. The atmosphere that one is surrounded with greatly influences beliefs and values of that individual. Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau supported the true goodness of humanity and conceived that “man is born free and everywhere else he is in chains.” Man can be restricted by his circumstances, his economic state, his family, his nationality, and the race he belongs to, but that does not mean his basic human nature is evil.
At first the children show rage, impotence, disgust, depression, and indignation but after some time they find ways of talking themselves into believing that it is the way that things are meant to be, and any other way would hinder the community and maybe even the child himself. Although the people don’t like it, they convince themselves that the city's happiness is more important and they find it more convenient to simply leave the child there. The story also tells how sometimes teenagers were not able to handle the hypocrisy and viciousness of the system and they ended up leaving Omelas. The teenagers in the story can also be seen as the teenagers in societies all around the world, that disagree with the way things are going and end up trying to go against society and it’s rules. The story in general talks about societies all around the world that depend on the poor and the weak so that the rich and powerful can keep their position.
There are a few individuals, however, who have acknowledged the inhumanity going on, and they are the ones who walk away from Omelas. They know that the treatment of this child is not worth the happiness that they have had. In this way, they are the heroes of Le Guin’s story because they are willing to give up their happiness for the sake of someone else. They could not live in a place and be happy with the knowledge that their happiness is to product of someone else’s misery. The theme of Rand’s “Anthem” is just the opposite.
Thus, More’s Utopia is a sternly righteous and puritanical state, where only a few of us would feel happy; this is because the communal way of life and the laws of the state forbid its citizens to have absolute personal liberty, which is essentially the main ingredient of happiness. The laws of the Utopian society place really harsh and irrational restrictions on the people in terms of the fundamental choices of life. For instance, when choosing an occupation, the son must practice the same trade as his father. “But if anyone is attracted to another occupation, he is transferred by adoption into a family practicing the trade he prefers.” (Utopia p.45) Thus, a person has to give up his family and the bonds he shared with them just to pursue a profession of his own choice. However, it still does not guarantee him a free choice.
Everyone has their own place in the society.the best place for Mr.Loveday is the asylum where he contributes much to the community. .If a person is to be judged by their contribution to the community, Mr loveday is a perfectly good citizen. Living in an asylum is no means of injustice to MrLoveday but it’s a chance for him to show his goodness. He would not kill anybody if he lives in the asylum forever, Wecannot argue that killing one more lady is always his desire by his vague letting out with Angela. “ Well miss, it sounds ungrateful, but I can’t deny I should welcome a little outing once, before I get too old to enjoy it” because like Mr Loveday said the very next sentence, “ I expect we all have our secret ambitions” we as humans all have our little dirty secrets which we dare not speech of and neither realize them if our time has not come.
But, unfortunately, such tries often end with nothing good and children suffer even more. On the whole, I think that such attempts are useless, as they will bring more harm than good both for parents and children. Kids have to be brought up in a loving and facilitating atmosphere that shows them how to live in this world and in what way to organize relationships with people. Thus, when living in the atmosphere of constant quarrels and offence, children can grow up to be too shy, or even aggressive. Looking back into my past, I think that I am completely satisfied with the state of events that were in my life.