Characters

The short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin includes three characters. Two of them are collective characters, the people of Omelas, those who walk away from it, and an individual character - the imprisoned child whose misery guarantees the happiness of the city.

The people of Omelas are described as happy, living in an apparently perfect society. This will provide a contrast between their happiness and the tragedy of the imprisoned child. One of their most important features is the acceptance of the locked child, despite knowing it is suffering. This places them in contrast with those who walk away, since they leave the city most likely because they refuse to accept the child’s suffering.

You can read a full characterization of the two collective characters and the imprisoned child in the following pages.