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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
Implied suffering of a child; not depicted graphically but the premise is disturbing
Language
None
Clean language
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
Brief mention of festive use of substances
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Deep philosophical and moral discomfort; the story is designed to unsettle the reader's ethical assumptions
What this book is about
Le Guin's famous short story imagines Omelas, a utopian city of joy — whose happiness depends entirely on the suffering of one child kept in a basement. The narrator invites the reader to imagine the city in detail, then confronts them with the moral question at its heart. A philosophical thought experiment rendered as haunting fiction; one of the most discussed short stories of the twentieth century.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Child suffering (implied, not depicted)
Moral philosophy themes
Existential distress
Reader Verification
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