All for one, or one for All

All For One, or One For All

>>>>>In "The Enormous Radio" and "Those Who Walk Away from Omelas," a question about suffering is raised. When

comparing these two short stories, one is compelled to ask is it better that a society suffer to improve the life of one person, or

instead is it better that one person suffers to improve the life of a society. In "The Enormous Radio" and "Those Who Walk

Away from Omelas, " the main characters dealt with the pain and suffering in their societies in ways that were remarkably

similar as well as strikingly contradictory. In response to the question that these stories present, I answer that the least amount

of suffering is most beneficial. However, answering this question about suffering becomes increasingly more difficult with the

application of real life situations. In the case of each of the two short stories, suffering has effects on those who are not directly

affected. For example, Irene is depressed by the tough times that her neighbors encounter. And in addition, some of the people

in the city of Omelas are forced to walk away because they can not bear to witness the suffering in their society any longer.

>>>>>The main characters in each story are members of societies with standards of living that are better than average. To

describe Jim and Irene in "the Enormous Radio," John Cheever writes, "Jim and Irene Westcott were the kind of people who

seem to strike that satisfactory average of income, endeavor and respectability that is reached by the statistical reports in college

alumni bulletins"(288). Clearly, Irene Westcott and her husband are living comfortably. In regard to the city of Omelas, Ursela

K. Le Guin writes, "Omelas sounds in my words like a city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away, once upon a time. Perhaps it

would be best if you imagined it as your own fancy birds, assuming it will rise to the occasion, for certainly I can not suit you all.

Stated more plainly, the people of Omelas are living in a utopia. The glaring difference between the two societies is that Omelas

is more like a carefree land of fantasy. The people of Omelas have the power to create ideal lifestyles for themselves. The

setting of "The Enormous Radio" is much more tangible. Irene and the people in her society do not have the power to control

every event in their lives.

>>>>>The societies of the Westcotts and the people of Omelas are not as perfect as they appear to be. When Irene's radio

begins to pick up the conversations of other tenants in her apartment, she learns that horrible things such as theft, adultery, and

abuse are going on around her. At first Irene is upset by the terrible events that are taking place in her building. On one occasion

Irene complains to Jim about a man who is beating his wife," 'Don't take off your coat. Go up to 16-C. Mr. Osborn's beating

his wife. They've been quarreling since 4 o'clock, and now he's hitting her. Go up there and stop him' " (Cheever 293). Irene

listens to the argument all day. In truth, Irene listens to the problems of others because they make her feel better about herself.

She is happy that she is not doing as badly as the rest of the people in her building. Irene says to her husband, " 'You love me

don't you? And we are not hypocritical or worried about money or dishonest, are we?" ' (Cheever 294). Irene convinces

herself that she is happy, and she refuses to see that she is as hypocritical as her neighbors are. In many cases, Irene uses the

suffering of others in order to feel better about herself.

>>>>>Just as in Irene's society, great suffering is taking place in the city of Omelas as well. However, only one person in

Omelas is unhappy. The unhappy person is a small child who is locked inside a dark and dirty room. The young child pleads,"

'Please let me out. I will be good ' "(Guin 413). No one answers the child's plea. Everyone in Omelas knows about the child.

More importantly, everyone understands that the child's misfortune is a necessity. Guin writes, " '...they all understand that their

happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars,

the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child's

abominable

...