Le Guin’s parable of Omelas presents a critique of the false binary of the utilitarian sacrifice (utopia or a child’s suffering). Sapkowski subverts the chosen one narrative wholesale, critiquing authoritarian uses of utilitarian rhetoric.
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Sapkowski digs into the trauma of being ‘chosen’ when you are a woman. Women are often ‘chosen’ for motherhood, their bodies transformed into a battleground for others’ ambitions. Ciri bridges these critiques as she is both the chosen one and the potential sacrifice.
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In Omelas, the suffering child has no choice, but stories about chosen ones – who have no choice but to choose – revolve around the burden of Power. This positions Ciri’s ethical struggles as a twisted mirror of Geralt’s.
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Geralt, who doesn’t have the power to change the system but will do all to fight for his loved ones, can walk away form Omelas. Ciri, the idealist, poses a counterpoint, as Ciri is both the suffering child and the potential ‘walker’ simultaneously.
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Ciri is also someone with the power to bring change. Thus, Ciri faces a triple-layered moral choice. Find out the rest in the article I wrote about Ciri’s Omelas Dilemma in #TheWitcher4 : www.blathancaerme.com/the-ciri-pap...
feb 23, 2025, 9:37 am • 1 1 • view