The Utopian city of Omelas comes off as the ideal world to live in, even with the child who is constantly abused for the sake of the town's happiness. As simple as the story is portrayed, there is actually more to see than the average eye can pick up through the use of allegory. There is Symbolism being shown throughout the text, starting with the abused girl or boy in the basement that everyone gives their negative energy to. There are some clear metaphors throughout the text, such as the emerging social realities that exist as part of the American identity. The style and use of language is very important when it comes to portraying the mood and setting to all readers, and overall the theme of the whole story brings together all of these elements to explain what it all means. .
This story is filled with a variety of symbols. It is difficult to find which symbols to choose when it comes to which are more important to the developing story. At the beginning of the story, the people are celebrating the summer festival with painted walls, sparkled flags, and people running around in amusement. There are horses that were dressed up for the festival before they all raced in the following day. The story goes into detail of how the horses look and how they are the only animal that have adopted this ceremony as their own. The Horse can be seen as the first example of symbolism in the text. The story begins very joyful and entertaining, with a warm feeling so the horse fits into the setting. Horses are full of power, they are beautiful creatures, and they express freedom as they are allowed to roam around the city during the festival. The flute player can symbolize loneliness. The readers start to wonder if the people of Omelas are happy and living full lives but it seems that they all live together in the city but their lives might not be as connected as described in the story. The flute player plays music that is beautifully played and can attach many people, but yet people still seemed distant.