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
Tally sleeps all day in the Rusty Ruins and then wakes up at dusk. David packs knapsacks and then they each ride two hoverboards. At the hill overlooking Special Circumstances, they stop and look back toward New Pretty Town. David asks if Tally thinks that An, Sussy, and Dex will really help them. Tally says they will—tricks are all uglies live for. David says their willingness makes him feel like even if they fail tonight, the Smoke will rise again. Tally and David kiss, and then David points to New Pretty Town. They see lights rise and arrange themselves into words to read, “THE SMOKE LIVES.” Three Special Circumstances hovercars leave the compound, so Tally and David check their bungee jackets, turn off their crash bracelets so their boards won’t follow, and race their hoverboards to the top of the hill.
Even if Tally chose the message of “THE SMOKE LIVES” just to attract Dr. Cable’s attention, the Smoke does live on in important ways—Tally and David are still fighting to rescue their loved ones, and young people like An, Sussy, and Dex are still willing to fight for their right to grow up on their own terms. The way that Tally and David plan to use their technology shows that between the two of them, they have enough knowledge to effectively navigate urban and wild terrain. By independently problem-solving in this way, both of them exhibit far more maturity and competence than the adults in Tally’s society do.
Themes
At the top of the jump, Tally’s hoverboard falls away, and she meets David’s eyes as they start to fall. Tally’s bungee jacket only catches her a split second before she hits the ground. Tally bounces and spins, and when she realizes she’s going to overshoot her target roof, she flails and catches a rain gutter. Satisfied that Tally is safe, the bungee jacket stops lifting her. Tally discovers that she’s too heavy with her knapsack to pull herself onto the roof. David pulls her up, and with delight, Tally sees that they managed not to set off alarms.
Even if Tally’s ugly tricks may have been something her government expected and didn’t think much about, they nevertheless prepared her to be successful here. She understands how bungee jackets work, how to manipulate her crash bracelets and hoverboard, and how her city sets up alarms. This indicates that seemingly frivolous activities like tricks can be worthwhile—if only someone like Tally is cunning and motivated enough to apply those skills elsewhere.
Themes
