Uglies
Encyclopedia
Uglies is a 2005
science fiction
novel by Scott Westerfeld
. It is set in a future
post-scarcity dystopia
n world in which everyone is turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery upon reaching age 16. It tells the story of teenager Tally Youngblood who rebels against society's enforced conformity, after her new found friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "Pretty". They show Tally how being a "Pretty" can change not only your look but your personality.
Written for young adults
, Uglies deals with adolescent themes of change, both emotional and physical. The book is the first installment in what was originally a trilogy, the Uglies series
, which also includes Pretties
, Specials
, and Extras
Under the surface, Uglies speaks of high profile government conspiracies and the danger of trusting the omnipresent Big Brother. While the underlying story condemns war and all the side effects thereof, the true thrust of the story proves that individual freedoms are far more important than the need for uniformity and the elimination of personal will.
The book shares many of its themes with the 1964 The Twilight Zone
episode "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You". In a blog posting, the author of the books notes that he viewed the episode in his childhood and had forgotten all the details.
Shay: Meets Tally after the latter crashes a pretty-town bash. She and Tally become best friends, despite the fact that Tally can't wait to turn sixteen, but Shay (A.K.A. Skinny) would rather keep her ugly -normal- face. Shay tries to convince Tally to run away to the Smoke with her, but fails. Once Shay disappears, Tally is questioned by Special Circumstances, and eventually forced to follow Shay to the mysterious Smoke.
David: The mysterious David takes rebellious young Uglies to the Smoke, which his parents, Maddy and Az, founded. Uglies can go to the Ruins and try to contact him at night through a sparkler signal. He's described to have a scar through one eyebrow, hands as hard and rough as wood, a big nose, and a jacket and shoes that he made himself. Despite all that, Tally thinks his "ugliness" suits him. He was in a relationship with Shay, but later falls for the more serious Tally.
Maddy: David's mother and Az's wife. She was a cosmetic surgeon of the Pretty Committee, which is in charge of the Operation. Her husband, Az, was researching ways to make the Operation safer, as people still died each year, mostly from being unconscious so long. They were forced by the Specials to either leave, or forget the dark secret they had found. They chose to run away and found the Smoke.
Az: David's father. Before the events of the book, he is a surgeon that turns Uglies into Pretties. He is captured and killed during an operation led by Dr. Cable to make him forget about the lesions. They were trying to change his memory.
Croy: One of Shay's friends who lives at the Smoke.
Peris: Tally's best friend since they were littlies. As an ugly, he is nicknamed "Nose". He is a pretty during the events of the book.
Dr. Cable: Head of Special Circumstances. She is the person who denies Tally the pretty surgery and sends her out as a spy to the Smoke. Dr. Cable is responsible for the downfall of the Smoke.
Ellie and Sol Youngblood: Tally's parents. Tally admits that she isn't very close to her parents.
and producer John Davis (Eragon
) bought the film rights to the novel. Davis and his co-producer wife Jordan were "plugged into the tale by their daughter, who read the book in school". The movie was originally scheduled to be released in the year 2011, according to the Internet Movie Database, but was pushed back to late, possibly November, 2012.
2005 in literature
The year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation....
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel by Scott Westerfeld
Scott Westerfeld
Scott Westerfeld is an American author of science fiction. He was born in Texas and now divides his time between Sydney, Australia and New York City, USA.-Books:...
. It is set in a future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
post-scarcity dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n world in which everyone is turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery upon reaching age 16. It tells the story of teenager Tally Youngblood who rebels against society's enforced conformity, after her new found friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "Pretty". They show Tally how being a "Pretty" can change not only your look but your personality.
Written for young adults
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
, Uglies deals with adolescent themes of change, both emotional and physical. The book is the first installment in what was originally a trilogy, the Uglies series
The Uglies series
Uglies is a book by Scott Westerfeld for young teens.-Setting:The story follows a teenage girl named Tally Youngblood who lives three hundred years from now in a futuristic city...
, which also includes Pretties
Pretties
Pretties is the second book of the Uglies Trilogy written by Scott Westerfeld.-See also:*The Uglies series*Scott Westerfeld*Dystopian fiction...
, Specials
Specials (novel)
Specials is the third novel in the Uglies series of novels, written by the American author Scott Westerfeld. It continues the story of the protagonist, Tally Youngblood.-Plot introduction:...
, and Extras
Extras (novel)
Extras is a young adult science fiction novel written by Scott Westerfeld. The novel was published and released by Simon & Schuster on October 2, 2007, and is a companion book to the Uglies series. However, Extras differs from its predecessors in that its protagonist is fifteen-year-old Aya Fuse,...
Under the surface, Uglies speaks of high profile government conspiracies and the danger of trusting the omnipresent Big Brother. While the underlying story condemns war and all the side effects thereof, the true thrust of the story proves that individual freedoms are far more important than the need for uniformity and the elimination of personal will.
The book shares many of its themes with the 1964 The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
episode "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You". In a blog posting, the author of the books notes that he viewed the episode in his childhood and had forgotten all the details.
Characters
Tally Youngblood: The main protagonist of the trilogy. Almost sixteen-year-old daughter of Sol and Ellie Youngblood. Nicknamed "Squint" because of her "small, watery, indifferently brown" eyes. After her best friend from childhood, Peris, turns and moves to New Pretty Town, she meets Shay, another ugly who amazingly has the exact same birthday as Tally. But Shay strangely doesn't want the beauty of the Operation. She runs away to the Smoke, catching the attention of Special Cirumstances. They force Tally to follow Shay into the wild, armed only with a Ranger Survival Kit, a special long-range hoverboard, and a silver heart locket that once activated, will send Special Circumstances to bring her home.Shay: Meets Tally after the latter crashes a pretty-town bash. She and Tally become best friends, despite the fact that Tally can't wait to turn sixteen, but Shay (A.K.A. Skinny) would rather keep her ugly -normal- face. Shay tries to convince Tally to run away to the Smoke with her, but fails. Once Shay disappears, Tally is questioned by Special Circumstances, and eventually forced to follow Shay to the mysterious Smoke.
David: The mysterious David takes rebellious young Uglies to the Smoke, which his parents, Maddy and Az, founded. Uglies can go to the Ruins and try to contact him at night through a sparkler signal. He's described to have a scar through one eyebrow, hands as hard and rough as wood, a big nose, and a jacket and shoes that he made himself. Despite all that, Tally thinks his "ugliness" suits him. He was in a relationship with Shay, but later falls for the more serious Tally.
Maddy: David's mother and Az's wife. She was a cosmetic surgeon of the Pretty Committee, which is in charge of the Operation. Her husband, Az, was researching ways to make the Operation safer, as people still died each year, mostly from being unconscious so long. They were forced by the Specials to either leave, or forget the dark secret they had found. They chose to run away and found the Smoke.
Az: David's father. Before the events of the book, he is a surgeon that turns Uglies into Pretties. He is captured and killed during an operation led by Dr. Cable to make him forget about the lesions. They were trying to change his memory.
Croy: One of Shay's friends who lives at the Smoke.
Peris: Tally's best friend since they were littlies. As an ugly, he is nicknamed "Nose". He is a pretty during the events of the book.
Dr. Cable: Head of Special Circumstances. She is the person who denies Tally the pretty surgery and sends her out as a spy to the Smoke. Dr. Cable is responsible for the downfall of the Smoke.
Ellie and Sol Youngblood: Tally's parents. Tally admits that she isn't very close to her parents.
Reception
Uglies has been analyzed as a means of understanding modern society's relationship with the body image and cosmetic surgery.Film
20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
and producer John Davis (Eragon
Eragon (film)
Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Alun Armstrong, Joss Stone, and the voice...
) bought the film rights to the novel. Davis and his co-producer wife Jordan were "plugged into the tale by their daughter, who read the book in school". The movie was originally scheduled to be released in the year 2011, according to the Internet Movie Database, but was pushed back to late, possibly November, 2012.