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
At dinner, Tally tells the story of hiding from the rangers in the river. Astrix asks why they didn’t pick Tally up, but David interjects that the rangers don’t pick up runaways anywhere but in the orchids. Picking someone up elsewhere could mean they’re picking up a spy. Tally talks about how the helicopter shredded her sleeping bag and catches herself just in time to keep her story straight—she says it was warm enough to not be a problem. David suggests that Tally trade for a new one soon. Shay offers to take Tally to the trading post. The old ugly running it isn’t as scary as the Boss, and Tally finds herself fascinated with the items made in the Smoke. She trades for a city-made sleeping bag and a handmade sweater.
David is clearly aware that Special Circumstances is trying to infiltrate the Smoke, which demonstrates his understanding of how the world works. This is something that Tally is just now learning, and will likely help her grow and mature. As she learns more about all the ways in which the cities and the Smoke are connected, she’s going to have an easier time figuring out where she fits into all of this—and through doing so, she’ll be able to decide what kind of adult she wants to be.
Themes
Shay asks what Tally was going to say in the library, before the Boss interrupted them. Tally freezes up and wonders if Dr. Cable would take pity on her if she returned to the city in a month without activating the locket. Tired of lying, Tally says she hasn’t shared everything. Shay says she knows: Tally broke her promise to keep the Smoke a secret and she told whomever gave her the necklace. Shay giggles and says that Tally must’ve left a copy of the directions with her “heartthrob.” Shocked, Tally says this is partly right, but she’s even more shocked when Shay says it’s okay—she broke the same rule when she left directions for Tally. People like David are still suspicious of Tally, but things will be fine once they get to know her.
Though Shay’s insistence that she knows what’s up with Tally is positive in, that it keeps Tally from having to admit that she betrayed her friend, Shay is also not being a very good friend in this moment. Not letting Tally tell her story in her own words means that Shay doesn’t have to grapple with a truth she might not like—that Tally is a spy. However, Shay isn’t doing this to be malicious. Instead, it reads again as a product of the way that Shay was raised—like Tally, she hasn’t learned how to think about others.
Themes
Tally wishes she’d activated the pendant when she arrived, as now she knows that she’s not just betraying Shay. She’s betraying hundreds of people. Shay says she can’t wait until Tally’s love arrives as Tally wonders if she could go volunteer with the rangers and become pretty that way. Shay admits that everyone here is too paranoid, but Tally suggests they’re right to worry. Shay laughs about Special Circumstances and says that people who want to live differently should be able to. Out here, they can grow up. Shay asks if Tally feels guilty that she told someone about the Smoke, and Tally starts to cry and feels like a traitor. Shay hugs Tally, and Tally feels awful for accepting Shay’s kindness. Tally is half glad she came but she knows she has to decide whether to betray Shay and David.
When Tally thinks that she wishes she’d activated the pendant earlier, she’s essentially saying that she wishes she’d done it when she was still innocent. In Tally’s short time in the Smoke, she’s already become more of an adult who’s aware of the consequences, and now she has to face the truth: cooperating with Dr. Cable won’t actually help Shay or David. Tally’s desire to be a child, however, indicates that she’s uncomfortable with growing up out in the wilderness—growing up in the city, on the other hand, would allow her to maintain some level of innocence and protection.
Themes
