The short story “ The Ones Who Walk away from Omelas ” is written by Ursula le Guin.
At the first glance the people of Omelas have a happy life. The city is situated by the sea – the day which is described in the beginning is the Festival of Summer. The children are riding horses, there is music and dancing.
The people are described as happy, but not as simple minded people, what you might conclude when you talk of happy people. They lead complex lives. The narrator describes them as “ mature ,intelligent, passionate adults “ (2nd paragraph). They have the things that are necessary. They don’t have a king, they don’t have swords …show more content…
But the misery of others is not the prerequisite for my happiness.
In comparison to the people in” The Ones who walk away from Omelas” one main character in the science fiction story “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag is only happy in the beginning. Being a firefighter it is his duty to burn books. No one is allowed to read and possess books. The most important is happiness and satisfaction which are made through television walls and ear…People should stop to have their own thoughts in order not to criticize the system. That is the reason why books are forbidden.
Montag lives in the monotony of work and family life which consists of constant watching TV especially interactive TV shows and the visit of amusement parks with Mildred, his wife.
Then Montag meets 16 year old Clarice McClellan who changes his attitude towards the burning of books. Being fascinated by books she makes Montag reflecting his situation and to start questioning things. When he is asked if he is happy he answers “yes” but later he is conscious that it is not so. When a woman is burned because she refuses to burn her own books Montag understands the system and starts to deal with books because he wants to know why they have been so important to the