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
The Special leads Tally to the rabbit pen, which contains 40 handcuffed Smokies. He throws Tally down roughly, and another Smokey helps Tally to sit up. Croy scoots closer and says he was wrong about Tally, since she resisted. Croy admits that he thought Tally conveniently escaped when she didn’t show up for breakfast, but Tally shares that she was out with David. Croy admits he hasn’t seen David, Shay, or the Boss. Tally says that she and the Boss made a run for it, and Croy comments on Tally’s bare feet. They watch as Specials sort uglies into groups so they can go to their respective cities. As Tally looks around, she realizes that after being here for a few weeks, it’s the Specials who look horrific, not the uglies.
Now, Tally truly believes that beauty is a matter of culture. While she’s always thought that the Specials looked strange and awful, she sees now that this has as much to do with their uniform prettiness as anything else. Having made this leap, Tally can now go on and fight genuinely for diversity on behalf of the Smoke. Croy’s (albeit misguided) willingness to apologize for suspecting Tally shows how close-knit the Smoke is—people must be willing to forgive if they’re going to survive.
Themes
Tally sees two Specials throw Shay into the pen. Shay croaks a greeting to Croy and then accuses Tally of betraying the Smoke. Croy tries to defend Tally, but Shay insists that Tally is to blame. A Special comes to the corner with an eye reader. They haul Croy away and Tally tries to tell herself that she couldn’t have done this. Tally tells Shay that she and David were just talking last night as a Special scans her eye. The Special confirms Tally’s name and then lifts her to go see Dr. Cable. The Special releases Tally’s hands, comforts her, and praises Tally for her good work.
The Special’s praise makes it clear to everyone watching that Tally did betray the Smokies. This means that Tally now has to deal with the consequences of breaking Shay’s trust, even if she did so unwittingly. Tally must understand that in this case, her intentions are much less important than the real-world consequences of her actions.
Themes
