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
Shay is thrilled to see Tally. She condescendingly says that Tally’s still a troublemaker and then points to where the other Smokies are locked up. David runs to free the others while Shay beams at Tally. Tally asks Shay what they did to her and asks if anyone else is pretty. Shay says that she’s the only one because she made the most trouble and put up the worst fight, but she’s relieved to be pretty. Shay says she’s only here because Dr. Cable wanted her to talk to the Smokies; Shay lives in New Pretty Town now, and just came from a party. Tally realizes that Shay is drunk. Shay asks how Tally and David are doing and apologizes for being a pain. Tally feels like this is just the lesions talking.
The fact that Shay is reasonably okay helping Tally and David free their friends suggests that the brain lesions don’t entirely shift someone’s thinking. Shay isn’t a total automaton—she’s not calling for other Specials or accusing Tally of being a traitor. This provides some nuance to Tally’s understanding of what the lesions do, because in important ways, Shay is still Shay despite her new appearance and interest in partying.
Themes
Shay says that Tally did her a favor getting her out of the Smoke; she loves hot showers. Tally starts to cry as she remembers how much Shay wanted to live on her own terms and keep her own face. She apologizes for betraying Shay, and Shay promises to keep it a secret that Tally betrayed the Smoke. Dr. Cable’s tablet blinks as a call comes in. Tally shoves it at Shay to answer the call. Shay talks for a moment and then sends Tally to help David; she insists that she’s happy to help do something exciting, even if she’s pretty. Maddy and another Smokey are already free, so Tally frees Croy. Maddy says that this is everyone and that they need to go. She says they can’t help Az.
Shay shows here that even though she’s a pretty, she, too, can be a good friend—she’s not going to spill Tally’s secret and ruin things for the Smokies. Though this could be because Shay senses it’ll be more dramatic for the truth to come out later, it’s also possible that in some ways, the lesions can actually improve how someone treats their friends. Now that Tally knows about the lesions, she’ll be able to observe Shay’s behavior to come to more nuanced conclusions about what, exactly, pretty surgery does.
Themes
Maddy leads everyone to the elevator, dragging Shay by the wrist. She yells that they need Dr. Cable, so Tally and Croy drag Dr. Cable by the wrists in order to scan her eye at the elevator. Maddy steals Dr. Cable’s interface ring, smashes the tablet against the wall, and tells the elevator to go to the roof. She asks what the escape plan is and then assigns Tally to ride with Shay while Maddy rides with David, Croy goes go alone, and the other two ride together. Tally activates her crash bracelets to call the hoverboards. David begs for Maddy to try to cure Az, but Maddy softly tells him that Az is dead.
When Maddy so forcefully steps in and takes control of the situation, she reminds everyone that she’s the real adult in the room despite the teenage Smokies’ advanced maturity. Meanwhile, learning that Az is dead makes it clearer to Tally what she did by conspiring with Special Circumstances: she’s partitally responsible for Az’s death, and now she sees that being a thinking, feeling, individualistic adult can have life-or-death consequences.
Themes
