Huzij 1Lori HuzijMay 16 2014Ms. DaoustENG4ULtheme analysis: UgliesIn the book Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, the story focuses on the theme of friendship and how it is necessary for happiness. Tally Youngblood is the central character whose antics become much more serious when her intense relationships get her into a variety of trouble. Westerfeld allows his audience to truly connect with his story by using various elements involving setting, symbolism, and relationships between characters. Westerfeld also emphasizes beauty and appearance, how they tie into friendship, and how they make people happy. A New York Times writer, James Hynes, describes what dystopian literature is; “It reflects the experience of venturing from the relative safety of childhood into the harsher realities of adult life. The psychological foundation of the story is the teenager's shock at learning that some of what you are taught is not true, that your parents are imperfect human beings, and that the world is not built for your benefit. This ties into the theme of friendship because the characters in the book turn to their friendships when everything else they have known seems to be a lie. Setting is an important aspect that Westerfeld focuses on, using descriptive language to really paint the picture of the unusual world they live in and the very significant differences between Ugly and New Pretty Towns. Uglies is set in a society where everyone is obsessed with beauty and until the character gets the operation to become pretty, it's nothing. Westerfeld tries to make it clear that it is important for the characters to bond and establish relationships with each other to keep themselves sane in this unusual world in which they live... middle of paper... David. “He still had that look in his eyes, that cute look. Maybe he really could see past his ugly face. Maybe what was inside her mattered more to him than anything else. (279) By developing this relationship with David, he not only made Tally extremely happy; but he is able to understand the true meaning of what it means to be beautiful. Overall Scott Westerfeld did a great job in creating the theme of friendship and how happiness is necessary in his book Uglies. Throughout the book the audience can see how the characters' opinions and actions change based on the friendships they had at the time. By using devices of setting and atmosphere, various elements of symbolism, building intense relationships between characters, and tying it all together with an inspirational message about beauty, Westerfeld allows his audience to truly connect with his story..