In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," Ursula K. LeGuin makes use of colorful descriptions and hypothetical situations to draw us into a surrealistic world that illustrates how unsympathetic society can be. LeGuin's ambiguity of how the story will go is purposeful; she cunningly makes her case that each of us handles the undesirable aspects of the world we live in differently, and that ultimately, happiness is relative.

As we explore this peculiar world of Omelas, we are prompted to ask ourselves, "What do I think is the `perfect society'? What is happiness to me"", and most importantly (to me), "Would I walk away from Omelas"" While we explore these questions, LeGuin expects that we will discover how far we are willing to go to indulge our need for comfort at the expense and pain of others. How important is our material possessions and comforts"

"Perhaps it...