Gutwilik

Sabrina Gutwilik
ENG-220 Literature and Society
Professor V. Neelakanta
December 8, 2013
The Scapegoat: A Utopian Societys Solution to Suffering
Manytimesinliterature,charactersmaybeusedasscapegoatsinordertoachieve
acommongoalofgreatersociety.ThisappearstobethecaseinUrsulaKLeGuinsThe
OnesWhoWalkAwayFromOmelas,aswellasinLoisLowrysTheGiver.Bothof
theseworksalsosuccessfullyaddresstheideaofindividualneedsversusthecommon
good.InTheOnesWhoWalkAwayFromOmelas,thenamelesschildcanbeseenasa
scapegoatforsimilarreasonstothoseinTheGiver,whereJonas,theReceiverof
Memory,canbeviewedasascapegoat.Inaddition,theseworksdabblewiththeidea
that,asscapegoats,thetwocharacterssacrificetheirownindividualneedsinorderto
provideacommonwelfareforthegoodoftheirdifferingsocieties,which,inOmelas,
coincideswellwithJ.S.Millsphilosophyofutilitarianism.
TheOnesWhoWalkAwayFromOmelasprovidesahauntingscenario.There
isoneboy,withoutaname,whoissaidtobetenyearsold,butlookssix.Thissmall
child,coopedupinatinyroom,maltreatedandretarded(aresultofmaltreatment),
sufferseveryday.However,hedoesnotjustsufferhesuffersforthepeopleofOmelas.
Someofthemunderstandwhy,andsomedonot,buttheyallunderstandthat
theirhappiness,thebeautyoftheirinnercity,thetendernessoftheirfriendships,
thehealthoftheirchildren,thewisdomoftheirscholars,theskilloftheirmakers,
eventheabundanceoftheirharvestandthekindlyweatheroftheirskies,depend
whollyonthischildsabominablemisery(LeGuin5).

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Thefollowingideademonstrateshowthechildcontrolsthewelfareofthestateof
Omelas.Itisascarythoughttoconsiderthatthewellbeingofanentirepopulation
dependssolelyononeperson,butwhy?Itisclearlystatedherethatthegoodfortuneof
theOmeleanpeopledependsonthischildspitifulsuffering.Withoutthischild,thetown
ofOmelas,would,essentially,havenothing.Ifthechildweretonotexist,itsnon
existencewouldresultintotalanarchyanddevastationforthepeopleofOmelas.The
vitalityofthechildtoOmelasisequaltothatoftheheartwithinthehumanbody.
Ifthechildwerebroughtupintothesunlightoutofthatvileplace,ifitwere
cleanedandfedandcomforted,thatwouldbeagoodthing,indeed;butifitwere
done,inthatdayandhouralltheprosperityandbeautyanddelightofOmelas
wouldwitherandbedestroyed.Thosearetheterms.Toexchangeallthe
goodnessandgraceofeverylifeinOmelasforthatsingle,smallimprovement:to
throwawaythehappinessofthousandsforthechanceofhappinessofone:that
wouldbetoletguiltwithinthewallsindeed(LeGuin5).
Here,readersseethatthechildsconstantsufferinghasadirectcorrelationwiththe
peopleofOmelasgoodness.Duetotheconditionsthatthechildislivingunder,itis
forcedtosacrificehisindividualneedsinordertoprovidegoodnessforthepeople.He
servesasascapegoattoprovideforthecommonwelfare;thereasonthechildsuffersso
isthatheisbearingthepainofthosewhodonothavetoinotherwords,theOmelean
people.Withinthechildliesallofthepeoplesconfusion,anger,despair,hidden
depravation,crushedhopesanddreams,fearsofwhatthefuturemighthold,and,most
importantly,guilt.Thisutopiansettingprovidessomefalsificationsforreaders,aswe
encounterthefactthattheydonotexperiencethesetypesemotionsassocalledhuman
beings.AlthoughitisclearlystatedthatTherewerenotlesscomplexthanus(LeGuin

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2),readersbecomeskeptical,oncethislackofpainandsuffering,whichmakesus
human,istakenintoaccount.
PhilosopherJ.S.Millsutilitarianismcandirectlyplayintothis.Intheprevious
quoteismentionedtheprosperityofthestateofOmelasduetothenamelesschilds
suffering.IfweweretoexamineJ.S.Millsphilosophy,basedoffofJeremyBenthams,
thechildcouldbeviewedasautility.ItsusefulpurposeistoservetopeopleofOmelas
bytakingontheburdensthattheydonotactuallyhave.
Millfounditnecessarytochangehismentorshedonismsothatutilitarianism
couldincorporatearecognitionofqualitativelysuperiorpleasuresandabeliefin
humangrowth.Bygrowth,IincludetermsbyMillsuchasdevelopment,
progress,improvement,cultivation,betterment,refinement,andtheelevationof
characterItbringsusnearertosomeidealstandardsuchasexcellence,
nobleness,orperfectionItappliestoindividuals(i.e.selfimporvement),andit
alsohasapplicationstogroups(i.e.socialprogress)(Habibi89).
Accordingtothestatementpostedabove,itisevidentthatthisconceptofgrowthdirectly
correlateswiththeprosperityofOmelas,forifthechilddidnotexist,onceagain,the
populationwouldbesunkeninsuffering.Thesestandardsofexcellence,nobleness,
andperfectionspokenofhereperfectlydisplaytheutopiansocietythatOmelasis.The
utilityofthechildcanclearlybesaidtoprotectOmelasfromdestruction,ifitwereto
everoccur,andtoforevermonitorandpromotetheprosperityofsuchaplace.
Thethingthatcontributestotheconstantstateofhappinessofthepeopleof
Omelasisthefactthatthechildshieldsthemfromexperiencingtheirownburdens.
The creed which accepts as the foundations of morals utility or the greatest
happiness principle holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to
promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By
happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and
the privation of pleasure [II 2; cf.II 1] (Mill).

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Since the child is a utility to providing happiness, it is viewed as right for it to bear all
of the things that the people cannot. With this being said, in contrast, it would be wrong
for the child to be removed from Omelas, because then, the perfect, utopian society it has
created would thus be removed and broken down, and would result in producing the
reverse of happiness. Here, the definition of happiness is without pain, while the
opposite, unhappiness, is the privation of pleasure. If the child were to be removed, the
society would not only crumble, but the deprivation of pleasure, otherwise known as pain
and suffering, would surely ensue. However, the child is always present, and, therefore,
will always leave Omelas as a society drowned in utmost pleasure and happiness.
ManypeopleinOmelascometoseethenamelesschildinitsnaturalhabitat.It
hasbeenproventhatmanyreactdifferentlytothechild.Althoughtheyhaveacommon
understandingofthechildsconditionbeforevisitinghim,manyfeelsickenedupon
seeingit.Somereturntoseethechildagain,othersdonot.Mostcontinueabouttheir
dailyliveswiththebitterthoughtofthesufferingchildinmind.Ontheotherhand,there
arethosewhodonottakewelltoseeingthenamelesschild.
Attimesoneoftheadolescentgirlsorboyswhogotoseethechilddoesnotgo
hometoweeporrage,doesnot,infact,gohomeatall.Sometimesalsoamanora
womanmucholderfallssilentforadayortwo,thenleaveshome.

TheyleaveOmelas,theywalkaheadintothedarkness,andtheydonotcome
back.Theplacetheygotowardsisaplaceevenlessimaginabletomostofusthan
thecityofhappiness.Icannotdescribeitatall.Itispossiblethatitdoesnotexist.
Buttheyseemtoknowwheretheyaregoing,theoneswhowalkawayfrom
Omelas(LeGuin6).
Thisismoreofanunnaturalreactionforsomeofthosewhoviewthenamelesschild.As
previouslystated,thechildservesasascapegoatforthepeopleofOmelas.Thereason

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thatthepeoplewalkawayfromOmelasandleavethatitheldforthembehindforeveris
obvious:theycannotbeartoseethechildsufferontheirbehalf.Theyknow,deepdown,
thattheonlyreasonthattheyarenotsufferingisbecausethechildisdoingsoforthem.
Withthatbeingsaid,thesepeoplecannotbeartoseetheirveryownburdensthrustupon
theminaninstance,allwithinasingleglance.Itisthisshamelessthrustinguponthem
thatcontributestotheirsadness,theirdevastationifwecanevencallitthat.Theyknow
thatifitwerenotforthispatheticbeing,thislittlething,theywouldbedrowninginthese
sorrowsthemselves.Itisforthatreasonthattheyemigratefromthehappyplaceof
Omelas,anddososteadfastly.
Similarly,inTheGiver,JonashasbeengiventheAssignmentofReceiverof
Memory.ThisisseenasbeingthemostprestigiousofalltheAssignmentsdistributed
withintheCommunityattheCeremonyofTwelve.LikeOmelas,theCommunityisa
placewhereeverythingisbalancedandperfect.Whileitsharesthissimilartraitwith
Omelas,italsodiffersfromit,inthattheCommunityisnotsolelydependenton
happiness,perse,tobesuccessful.Unknowingly,thepeopleoftheCommunityhave
dependedontheReceiverofMemoryforthousandsofyears,justasOmelashas
dependedonthenamelesschild.WithintheCommunity,ahorrificthingonceoccurred.
Itwaschaos,hesaid.Theyreallysufferedforawhile.Finallyitsubsidedasthe
memorieswereassimilated.Butitcertainlymadethemawareofhowtheyneeda
Receivertocontainallthatpain.Andknowledge(Lowry104).
Here,likethenamelesschild,JonasbearsallofthepainoftheCommunity.The
Communitydoesnotknowmemoriesofpainorpleasure,fortheyhavenever

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experiencedthem.ThisisbecausetheReceiversjobistoreliveallofthosepast
memories,sothattheyarenotburdenedontothepeople.Inreality,Jonassisassignment
is,likethechild,tosacrificehisownwellbeingforthesakeoftheCommunity.
Alongwiththis,Jonasflees.Hecannotbearthemanylonger,thememories.
Behindhim,acrossvastdistancesofspaceandtime,fromtheplacehehadleft,he
thoughtheheardmusictoo.Butperhapsitwasonlyanecho(Lowry180).
ThisimageryisverysimilartothatinOmelas.Jonasknowsthathecannolongerbear
thepainandsufferingofthememoriesthepeopleofthepasthaveleftbehind,onlyfor
himtoendure.Forthisreason,heembarksonajourneytoElsewhere,wherehecanbe
freeoftheburdensofthepastandtheharshdutiesofbeingReceiverofMemory.Justas
theadultsandadolescentsinOmelasleaveforthesightofthechildsufferingforthem,
Jonasleaves,too.
Althoughthetwohavedifferentpremises,TheOnesWhoWalkAwayFrom
OmelasandTheGiverportraysimilarthemesofburdeningscapegoats,whom,asa
result,savetheirpeoplefromtheirownsuffering.InOmelas,thehappinessofthe
peopleisdependentonautility,asJ.S.Millsutilitarianismstates.

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Works Cited
DavidBrink. Mill's Moral and Political Philosophy. Plato.standford.edu. David Brink:
2007. December 8, 2013. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mill-moralpolitical/#HapHigPle.
DonHabibi.J.S.MillsRevisionistUtilitarianism.British Journal for the History of
Philosophy. Vol. 6 Issue 1, Mar 1998. p89. 26p. December 8, 2013.
Le, Guin Ursula K. "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas." The Wind's Twelve
Quarters. London: Gollancz, 2000. N. pag. Print.
Lowry,L.TheGiver.LoisLowry:1993.Print.
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U,
2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2008.