Omelas And The Lottery

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Kevin Fields Professor Brownlie ENG 111 10/29/2012 Suffering within Stories To achieve great things there is often a great deal of expense required by the achiever but, when the beneficiary of the sacrifice is someone reaping the benefits of another’s pain the idea of what is right and wrong becomes warped. As depicted in Jackson`s The Lottery and Le Guin`s The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas the success of many is dependent on the struggle of ordinary people to survive, the suffering imposed on some people in order for many to do well and the savagery to which ordinary…show more content…
Just as in story, The Lottery, the villagers believe they would fall into hardship if someone were not to suffer. While carrying this secret burden they unknowingly notice to their very own struggle. “But we do not say the words of cheer much anymore. All smiles have become archaic”. (Omelas, 259). The fact these people do not know of a world outside their own is another reason they believe so strongly someone must struggle for many to prosper. “They also got along without the stock exchange, the advertisement, the secret police, and the bomb”. (Omelas, 259). The people of the village in Omelas were some who no longer knew happiness or joy which played a major role in the way their victims were made to suffer. “we can no longer describe a happy man, nor make any celebration of joy”. (Omelas, 259). The reasons why the villagers of Omelas believe in the lottery so deeply are as varied as the villagers…show more content…
For the people to believe the child`s suffering is for the better of the village would mean they also believe the child`s very existence is a bad thing and yet they keep it beneath the very city it could plague, were it to escape. “The room is about three paces long and two wide; a mere broom closet or disused tool room. In the room a child is sitting”. (Omelas, 260). Furthermore, it’s very likely these people just choose to make this child suffer because of its predisposition. “Perhaps it was born defective, or perhaps it has become imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect”. (Omelas, 260). In addition it seems as though the suffering imposed in this story is not to benefit the town but to benefit those who abuse the child through neglect and spectating. “One of them may come in and kick the child to make it stand up”. (Omelas, 261). Lastly, if the suffering imposed on the child is to benefit town it should do only and be exploited no

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