Cruelty In 'The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas'

Cruelty is a behavior that causes pain or suffering to a person or animal. In “The ones who walked away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Leguin, there is a lot of cruelty directed towards a little child so that all the citizens are happy. Cruelty in this manner, is really not seen as cruelty but sort of a sacrifice. In “The old man with enormous wings” by Gabriel Garcia, the cruelty is directed towards an old man just because he is different and has wings. Cruelty in this story is seen as entertainment at the expense of the old man. Cruelty generally occurs in both stories at the expense of someone’s situation of life and death. Cruelty in the stories are caused by what is being gained, what is being lost, and the extent of the cruelty directed towards …show more content…
In “The ones who walked away from Omelas,” by Ursula K. Leguin, the people of Omelas depend on the cruelty of the little child, so that they can be happy, and cheerful. According to Leguin, “They all understand that their happiness, the beauty of the city, the tender ships of their friendship, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of the makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery.” This means that the people believe that if the child is not in that place, then they all will be miserable and will not be happy and there will be no balance in Omelas. The only thing that seems to be lost during the entire time, is the wellness of the child. The child is not taken proper care of (According to Ursula Leguin, “The child is so thin there are no calves to its legs; its belly protrudes; it lives on a half-bowl of cornmeal and grease a day. It is naked. Its buttock and thighs are a mass of festered sores, as it sits in its own excrement continually) as they seem doing so will result in everyone else’s misery(According to Leguin, “If the child were brought up into the sunlight out of that vile place, if it were cleaned, fed, and comforted, that would be a good thing indeed; but if it were done, in that day and hour all prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would …show more content…
Cruelty in both stories are caused by what is being gained, what is being lost, and the extent of the cruelty directed towards the victim. In “A very old man with enormous wings,” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The thing being gained is money for the couple who really don’t seem to care about the old man. However, in “The ones who walked away from Omelas,” by Ursula Le Guin, the happiness is being gained in the sadness of the child. Le Guin states that the only thing that is being lost is everything for the child. While, Marquez states that both the old man and the couple (Elisenda and Pelayo) are losing a lot of important things (that humans hold most dear such as humility, dignity, and honor) but not to the extent that the child is losing. The extent of the cruelty that is directed towards the child is much more in comparison to the extent of cruelty being faced by the old man. Cruelty exists in all aspects of life, but have you ever tried to stop the cruelty from occurring in the first