We must learn to deal with reality. If we do not then we might become worse off and hurt ourselves. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, a short story written by Ursula Le Guin, and A Streetcar Named Desire, a play written by Tennessee Williams, the reader is reminded that what we should not ignore reality; sometimes we think that the truth is harsh and we ignore it so that we do not have to deal with it rather than face the reality. By ignoring reality, we can let a problem grow out of hand which may cause more trouble for us later in life, instead by facing the truth head on and by trying to change the present or take responsibility for our actions, we can change the future so that we are comfortable living in it.
The story of the citizens …show more content…
The people understand the reality but choose to ignore it. The two stories also do not tell what happens to the people when reality catches up. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, the citizens are shown reality and nothing else happens immediately. After some time some of the citizens, both young and old, choose to leave the city. One of the major themes in the short story is the concept of free will. The people who leave the city ultimately have the most free will as they leave the city to pursue their own happiness by their own actions and not the suffering of another. They face reality and change it so that they are comfortable with themselves. The others who stay in Omelas may not have enough will power to not rely on others for their own happiness. In A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche has to go to an institution when she is confronted by reality. She seems to be stuck in her delusional world and does not wish to leave it. Her sister on the other hand seems to be at a crossroads where she may follow Blanche’s path if she walks too far down one line, but if she chooses the other way she must be willing to face an ugly truth. The authors of both stories leaves them open ended so that the reader might make the choices that make. So some of the optimistic readers will think that everything ends happily for both the emigrating citizens of Omelas and for Blanche and Stella, while the pessimistic readers will think that reality hit the characters hard and the citizens will be worse off, Blanche may get better and Stella will leave
The story of the citizens …show more content…
The people understand the reality but choose to ignore it. The two stories also do not tell what happens to the people when reality catches up. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, the citizens are shown reality and nothing else happens immediately. After some time some of the citizens, both young and old, choose to leave the city. One of the major themes in the short story is the concept of free will. The people who leave the city ultimately have the most free will as they leave the city to pursue their own happiness by their own actions and not the suffering of another. They face reality and change it so that they are comfortable with themselves. The others who stay in Omelas may not have enough will power to not rely on others for their own happiness. In A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche has to go to an institution when she is confronted by reality. She seems to be stuck in her delusional world and does not wish to leave it. Her sister on the other hand seems to be at a crossroads where she may follow Blanche’s path if she walks too far down one line, but if she chooses the other way she must be willing to face an ugly truth. The authors of both stories leaves them open ended so that the reader might make the choices that make. So some of the optimistic readers will think that everything ends happily for both the emigrating citizens of Omelas and for Blanche and Stella, while the pessimistic readers will think that reality hit the characters hard and the citizens will be worse off, Blanche may get better and Stella will leave