Point of View

The story is narrated from a third-person omniscient point of view. The narrator is aware of the thoughts and feelings of all of the people in the story and occasionally addresses the thoughts and feelings of the reader. The narrator addresses the audience in a form of metafiction (fiction referencing its own fictionality) so that the reader never forgets that the place, story, and people are all imaginary. This use of metafiction helps the reader to realize that the story is a parable.

Setting

The story is set in the utopian village of Omelas. In the early descriptions of the story, Omelas seems like a place of perfection: the buildings are beautiful, the topography is idyllic, and the people are content. However, as the narrative progresses it becomes clear that Omelas is not perfect and that there are some very sad, disturbing things happening within...