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Work
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
A few hours later, there’s a pile of railroad ties and a pile of metal rail segments that each take six people to carry back. Tally’s hands are raw and blistered. Tally admits to David that she just noticed them, which makes him laugh. He says that hard work is a good distraction and invites Tally to travel up the tracks to scout for another spot. As they ride, Tally notes that all of David’s clothes are handmade out of leather. With horror, she wonders if he’s really wearing dead animals. They reach a wall of solid rock and David explains that the Rusties loved straight lines; this used to be a tunnel that has since collapsed.
Though David may joke at the Rusties’ expense about straight lines, it’s worth considering the ways in which Tally’s society does similar things. Rather than creating a culture that can withstand some degree of diversity or difference, Tally’s culture manipulates people to look the same as everyone else. Like this tunnel, it’s possible that someday a society held up by this kind of conformity will also collapse.
Themes
David admits that he’s worried the boulders will collapse if they mess with the rails. He invites Tally to follow him as he climbs up and behind the boulders, onto the rocks just inside the tunnel. Inside, he pulls out a flashlight and points it down at the track. David says that he thinks the tunnel could open if they move the right boulder, but Tally suggests that the boulders could also crush them. David laughs and says he thought she’d say that—he can tell that she’s struggling with being in the Smoke. Tally agrees that she is, which David says is good. He explains that lots of kids think the Smoke is fun and games, and fail to understand how serious it is.
David is clearly a thoughtful and perceptive person: he wants to introduce Tally to all aspects of life in the Smoke and show her that life shouldn’t be treated frivolously. He also picks up on Tally’s newfound awareness that in nature, actions have consequences. This suggests that in some important ways, Tally isn’t as much like the other city kids as one might think. This isn’t just rebellion for her—the stakes are much higher.
Themes
David suggests that the cities are like boulders in that they seem solid but they might collapse if they’re poked just right. Tally understands—she knows now that the Smoke is threatening to people like Dr. Cable. She asks why the cities care about the Smoke. David deliberates and then says he feels he can trust Tally. He admits that he was born here. His parents were doctors but ran away from the city. Tally is shocked and confused, but David explains that his parents ran away when they were middle pretties and then reversed their operations. Tally gags at the thought of doing surgery in the wilderness and David apologizes. David’s confession complicates things. Tally understands that the Smoke isn’t just a hideout for runaways; it’s a real city and David’s home.
Learning that David was born in the Smoke helps Tally understand that this isn’t just an extended camping trip: people live in the Smoke and call it home, just like Tally lived in the city. As she makes this connection, her empathy for David and the other Smokies grows, which gives Tally more to think about in terms of friendship and loyalty. It’s one thing to spoil a friend’s camping trip—it’s another to rip them away from their home.
Themes
