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 Smokies all eat lunch together at long tables that were clearly cut from tree centers. This disturbs Tally, so she’s happy when Shay and David take her outside to the cooking fire. Shay’s friends, Astrix, Ryde, and Croy join them. They look authoritative, like middle pretties, and they talk about their work projects over lunch. The food is hearty and heavier than Tally has ever eaten. Tally shares news about the city, and then Astrix asks about Tally’s journey. At first, Tally says that the journey was easy—but then, seeing everyone’s rapt faces when she mentions meeting the rangers, Tally elaborates on her story. She loves feeling like the center of attention and is glad she didn’t activate the pendant.
Telling her story to the Smokies is a way for Tally to feel like she’s a part of the group and earn social capital. This makes her seem cool and interesting, and it’ll help the Smokies accept her as one of her own. When Tally again notices how authoritative and confident everyone is, it suggests that these qualities are a product of living outside of the cities. While the cities give residents everything they want and need, out here, people have to develop competence and resolve in order to survive.
Themes
David asks how it felt to wait alone in the orchids for days, but Tally says she didn’t know they were superweeds. David frowns at Shay and says that her code almost got Tally killed, then shares that typically nobody makes the trip alone. Tally insists that she was fine and had enough SpagBol. David gently touches Tally’s face and says he’s glad she made it—but just then, the bell rings, signaling the return to work. Shay tells Tally about railroads as they hoverboard up a river. They’re headed for tracks that don’t go anywhere useful, so they’ll be pulling up the metal to create hoverpaths in the Smoke. Tally realizes how far she’s traveled and comments that everything is big. Shay says that from inside the city, it’s impossible to tell how small it is and how small everyone feels there.
Shay again suggests that the cities can easily manipulate how people interpret things. The cities are able to make people feel as though they’re safe, secure, and that there’s nothing else they’d ever need—but from their vantage points in the wilderness, both Tally and Shay can see that the city also discourages people from being curious about how big the world is. Stepping out into the wilderness, then, helps both Tally and Shay come of age by introducing them to the scope of their world, as well as to a different way of life.
Themes
Tally nods, but she thinks of people cutting down trees and killing animals. The thoughts are disturbing, but the view is still stunning. Tally starts to think that the skyline of New Pretty Town isn’t the most beautiful thing. They finally reach the tracks. They’re overgrown, so Shay pulls out a tool she calls a powerjack. She demonstrates how to use it to pry up the railroad ties, and seeing Tally’s wide eyes, hands Tally another powerjack. It’s heavy, but Tally jams it under another tie and turns the handle. The jack shudders as it frees the rail halfway. Grinning, Tally tells Shay that they need to finish the job.
Tally instantly latches onto the idea that hard work can be satisfying and even fun. This isn’t something she ever would’ve gotten to experience in the city; she says at multiple points that new pretties only party and have fun. This hard work also allows her to serve the community of people in the Smoke, which begins to teach Tally about a different type of loyalty. In the Smoke, helping with work is a way to be loyal to the group.
Themes
