The Impossible Utopia of Omelas

            
             A Utopian society is defined by Webster's dictionary as an ideal and perfect place or state, where everyone lives in harmony and everything is for the best. In my opinion, this would be a very bland and ordinary being. How can one know how to fully experience happiness if they have never experienced sadness? How can one know what perfect is exactly if they have never known anything but perfect? Actually, nothing is perfect. There is always a catch somewhere or a glitch in the system. Something has to go wrong. Utopia is impossible. .
             In the story "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas", the city of Omelas seems to be the perfect place to live. There are perfect people that live in perfect houses and live perfect lives. Nothing appears to be wrong. But, like with everything else, there is a catch. In a basement below one of the perfect buildings there is a closet. This closet is the home of a little child. This child is mentally retarded and looks like they are about 6 but in all reality they are actually 10 or 11. This poor little helpless child has been beaten, abused, and hurt both physically and mentally for most of its life. However, it does remember what it was like to feel loved and nurtured because every so often it s cries can be heard in the night. Horrible screams of "Let me out" and "I promise to be good." .
             The rules of Omelas are strange and twisted. The child that stays locked inside of this basement closet has a very specific purpose. They probably have no clue as to what their purpose is, or why it is such an important purpose. The city's happiness and joy are all at the expense of the child. Every good thing in Omelas is compared to the horrible life that the child in the basement lives. If anyone shows any sort of sympathy for it, even a kind word, all of Omelas's glory will be destroyed. It is an all or nothing deal. The rules can not be broken or bent. As the story says, "Those are the terms.