The Lottery, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Susan Nevin
To begin, I read the Omelas story. To me, this had been one of the most impactful readings I have read for a class. This story showed the idea of a fake utopia, as the society tries to put on a front of “perfection,” when in reality, there is true suffering at its base. In addition, this story begs the question of the utilitarian perspective. Is it better for one child to live a horrible life for the happiness of the majority? This is something I could debate on for hours, and that many people continue to argue about. This argument is also seen in the city of Omelas. Some of the people once the see the child are very upset, but decide to return home. Others are so hurt by this idea that they cannot bear to live in these conditions anymore and walk straight off the city, and are never seen again. This story, along with utilitarianism, brings in the idea of groupthink. While every single member of this society knows that the treatment of the child is horrible, no one does anything about it. And those who cannot bear to watch it run from the city instead of helping the child and making a change.
Next, I read “The Lottery” story by Shirely Jackson. This story showed many similarities to the Omelas story, however, the person who had to accept the suffering was an active member of their society. In detail, the town would hold a “lottery,” and whoever won was stoned to death. This again brings into light the idea of the “ideal” society, which isn’t ideal at all, but instead tries to cover up their suffering through a decision they believe to be better for the group. They also use the idea of a “lottery” which usually has a positive connotation to it, to cover up the horrible events that occur if you win. This argument is extremely popular within hollywood today, as they are making countless films to debate this idea. I first heard of this concept when reading The Hunger Games Series, and this idea has stuck with me since.
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