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martyrbat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Excrement, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
emfass's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
An absolute emotional wallop of a short story. What does utopia/a good life cost, and are we willing to pay that cost? What do we do, who are we, when we've been shown the dark underbelly of our world?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content and Excrement
latibluee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
beautifully haunting
the type of story that will nestle itself in your mind and you will keep idly thinking about it days, weeks, maybe even months or years after you've read it - even though it is only 5 pages long (or maybe partly due to that fact?)
the type of story that will nestle itself in your mind and you will keep idly thinking about it days, weeks, maybe even months or years after you've read it - even though it is only 5 pages long (or maybe partly due to that fact?)
The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.
We have almost lost hold; we can no longer describe a happy man, nor make any celebration of joy. How can I tell you about the people of Omelas? They were not naive and happy children – though their children were, in fact, happy. They were mature, intelligent, passionate adults whose lives were not wretched. O miracle! but I wish I could describe it better.
The joy built upon successful slaughter is not the right kind of joy; it will not do; it is fearful and it is trivial. A boundless and generous contentment, a magnanimous triumph felt not against some outer enemy but in communion with the finest and fairest in the souls of all men everywhere and the splendor of the world’s summer; this is what swells the hearts of the people of Omelas, and the victory they celebrate is that of life.
Yet it is their tears and anger, the trying of their generosity and the acceptance of their helplessness, which are perhaps the true source of the splendor of their lives. Theirs is no vapid, irresponsible happiness.
At times one of the adolescent girls or boys who go to see the child does not go home to weep or rage, does not, in fact, go home at all. Sometimes also a man or woman much older falls silent for a day or two, and then leaves home. These people go out into the street, and walk down the street alone. They keep walking, and walk straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates. [...] Each alone, they go west or north, towards the mountains. They go on. They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back. The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Confinement
Minor: Sexual content, Excrement, and Alcohol
st_ella_r's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Excrement
kajasversion's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Beautifully written, made me question my life. It’s 5pm on a tuesday.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Confinement
Minor: Excrement
viireads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Excrement
clack's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child abuse and Excrement
rory_john14's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse and Excrement
emliza's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Excrement and Abandonment
kendrakeuler's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It was incredible such an interesting concept. When I started reading it I didn't know what I was getting into but this was truely gut wrench and I'm still unsure what I would do. You think it would be an easy decision but in reality we live in our own version Omelas our success always comes from comes down fall because at the end of the day if everyone is a winner no one can truely be a winner. I also think a lot of their joy sentence from the fact that they're grateful for what they do have because they see where they could be. Just like when we are able to recognize and get joy out of being grateful when realize what we have at others don't. To Some this up this is story poses an incredible philosophical question and makes you question whether at the end of the day group happiness out way one persons happiness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Abandonment