By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas’ is one of the few short stories of the last half-century or so which can truly be called a modern myth. Indeed, Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018), the story’s author, called her 1973 tale a ‘psychomyth’, inspired by a passage she encountered in the work of the American psychologist and philosopher, William James (the brother of the novelist Henry James).
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas’ is a 1973 short story by the American writer Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018). A powerful tale which its author described as a ‘psychomyth’, this story uses some intriguing symbolism to put across its ‘message’.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the key symbols of Le Guin’s story. In case it’s helpful, here’s a quick recap of the plot:
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas’ is a 1973 short story by the American writer Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018). A powerful tale which its author described as a ‘psychomyth’, this story explores some weighty and important themes over the course of its eight pages.
Below, we explore some of the most prominent themes of ‘The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas’. In case it’s helpful, here’s a quick recap of the plot: