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americattt's review against another edition
dark
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
4.5
"The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by oedants 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."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Confinement
Moderate: Excrement
annekay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Excrement, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Classism
faemp3's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Excrement, and Abandonment
Minor: Drug use
chrisljm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Excrement, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
littledarlin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
5.0
thank u bts
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Excrement
hoiyan's review against another edition
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? N/A
4.5
“Omelas already exists; no need to build it or choose it. We already live here—in the narrow, foul, dark prison we let our ignorance, fear, and hatred build for us and keep us in, here in the splendid, beautiful city of life.”
one of the many discussions and takes on the moral dilemma behind living and thriving at the expense of others' (specifically a child's) suffering. Le Guin explicitly writes with the set 'rule' of the child's suffering being directly accountable for the freedom of Omelas (which in turn, is linked to its downfall).
a very upsetting and haunting dilemma. it's built up to not have a right answer, or any answer.
not only did Le Guin present two options—help the child which would lead to the mass suffering of the whole population, or leave the child alone to suffer and enjoy your freedom in this utopia-esque world within Omelas—but also presented a third option: walking away from Omelas.
“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."
we're given no explicit description or any indicators on what is outside of Omelas, and leave us with more conflicts to work through: saving the child and thus causing mass suffering, leaving the child to suffer and live your happy life, or turning away away from both the child in need of saving, and the utopia world of Omelas.
one of the many discussions and takes on the moral dilemma behind living and thriving at the expense of others' (specifically a child's) suffering. Le Guin explicitly writes with the set 'rule' of the child's suffering being directly accountable for the freedom of Omelas (which in turn, is linked to its downfall).
a very upsetting and haunting dilemma. it's built up to not have a right answer, or any answer.
not only did Le Guin present two options—help the child which would lead to the mass suffering of the whole population, or leave the child alone to suffer and enjoy your freedom in this utopia-esque world within Omelas—but also presented a third option: walking away from Omelas.
“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."
we're given no explicit description or any indicators on what is outside of Omelas, and leave us with more conflicts to work through: saving the child and thus causing mass suffering, leaving the child to suffer and live your happy life, or turning away away from both the child in need of saving, and the utopia world of Omelas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug use, Excrement, and Alcohol
firefly's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Excrement
dastardly_red_witch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Excrement
ogik's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Excrement
panidals's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
This book is recommended if you want a (very) quick read which will make you think after reading.
To me rating a story like this is quite difficult, as I have just finished reading it. It’s even difficult to call it a story as this is more a situation created by the author. Even though what happens in Omelas doesn’t make sense in reality, something true is hidden between the lines. It rises the question: Are we in Omelas? Are we the child? Or maybe we are the ones who walked away from it?
I might update this if I have drawn my own conclusion, but I don’t think there’s a right answer to these questions.
To me rating a story like this is quite difficult, as I have just finished reading it. It’s even difficult to call it a story as this is more a situation created by the author. Even though what happens in Omelas doesn’t make sense in reality, something true is hidden between the lines. It rises the question: Are we in Omelas? Are we the child? Or maybe we are the ones who walked away from it?
I might update this if I have drawn my own conclusion, but I don’t think there’s a right answer to these questions.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, and Excrement