A Human’s Mask “Those Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin is a short story of a city and its choice to sacrifice the happiness of a child for the well being of the city. The city itself, Omelas, is representative of human facades, and the child represents human insecurities. Le Guin’s use of imagery to describe Omelas symbolizes a human’s attempt to mask their insecurities or their pain.
The depiction of Omelas parallels the authenticity of a facade. Le Guin describes Omelas as “a city in a fairy tale, long ago, and far away, once upon a time” (Le Guin 6). The words “a fairy tale” are suggestive that the city may not even exist. It is also suggestive of the city being made up and is similar to the myth of Atlantis. Omelas and a facade can both …show more content…
The mask a human creates is “a fairy tale” since a human will attempt to contrast what they feel inside. The mask is not the real characteristics of that human, it is the characteristics a human wants the world to see, not how they truly are. Le Guin further emphasizes Omelas being a fairy tale by including the usual phrase in a fairy tale “once upon a time”. The author creates a connection between facades and Omelas by describing Omelas as a place that may not exist, which mirrors the authenticity of a facade.
A mask is meant to hide the pain or insecurities of a human being, so what is Omelas masking? In Omelas, there is a child who lives in misery in order for Omelas to be the great city it is. The child represents the pain and misery being masked by a human through the contrast and dependency between Omelas and the child. When describing where the child
The depiction of Omelas parallels the authenticity of a facade. Le Guin describes Omelas as “a city in a fairy tale, long ago, and far away, once upon a time” (Le Guin 6). The words “a fairy tale” are suggestive that the city may not even exist. It is also suggestive of the city being made up and is similar to the myth of Atlantis. Omelas and a facade can both …show more content…
The mask a human creates is “a fairy tale” since a human will attempt to contrast what they feel inside. The mask is not the real characteristics of that human, it is the characteristics a human wants the world to see, not how they truly are. Le Guin further emphasizes Omelas being a fairy tale by including the usual phrase in a fairy tale “once upon a time”. The author creates a connection between facades and Omelas by describing Omelas as a place that may not exist, which mirrors the authenticity of a facade.
A mask is meant to hide the pain or insecurities of a human being, so what is Omelas masking? In Omelas, there is a child who lives in misery in order for Omelas to be the great city it is. The child represents the pain and misery being masked by a human through the contrast and dependency between Omelas and the child. When describing where the child