Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Uglies, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Conformity vs. Individuality
Beauty, Science, and Influence
The Natural World, History, and Growing Up
Friendship and Loyalty
Summary
Analysis
It’s David. Tally pulls him to her and shakes her head when he asks if there’s anyone with her. They hear the hovercars overhead, and Tally hopes she hasn’t betrayed David too. They sit quietly for hours and then discuss what happened. David says he was watching the sunrise when Special Circumstances arrived, and Tally says that she cut her handcuffs and was able to steal a hoverboard. David praises her, and Tally can’t believe she’s lying—she wishes she’d told the truth so the Smokies could’ve attached the pendant to a migratory bird bound for South America. Now, Tally feels like she can’t tell the truth or she’ll lose David, in addition to Shay, Peris, and the Smoke. Tally vows to herself to tell David the truth after she’s made things better.
Even though it’s understandable why Tally wants to delay telling David the truth, choosing to wait is still a somewhat selfish choice. It means that Tally is able to continue her relationship with David without having to face the consequences of cooperating with Special Circumstances, something that allows her to continue on in a bit of a childish state. However, the fact that Tally recognizes how she could’ve fixed this at the beginning offers hope that she won’t make this mistake again in the future.
Themes
Tally reassures David that they’ll rescue everyone. David is skeptical, but Tally says she’s been to Special Circumstances. She lies that she got caught sneaking into New Pretty Town on the night she met Shay, and says that the Specials tried to intimidate her. David says this makes sense—Tally has always seemed to know how dangerous life is in the Smoke, and she seems to understand what the cities are like. David asks if Tally really wants to go back and rescue everyone, and Tally says she has to. She cries and turns away when David tries to kiss her.
What Tally doesn’t seem to realize is that by waiting, she’s going to make the truth even harder for David to hear when she does share. This is, again, a product of her youth, innocence, and desire for things to be easy and neat. It’s uncomfortable for her to face that she’s done something horrific, and so she’s doing everything in her power to simply ignore it.
Themes
