Uglies Freedom and Confinement Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"But you know, we haven't totally gotten away yet," Shay said. "Next time you're going to pull a fire alarm, let me know ahead of time."

"Sorry about getting you trapped here." (3.71-2)

One reason we dig this book is because we love hoverboards. (Have we mentioned that?) But another reason is that it doesn't waste time getting to its themes.The very first time that Tally and Shay meet, they're already talking about the freedom to do tricks vs. getting trapped by the system.

Quote #2

"Hoverboarding looks so fun, like being a bird. But actually doing it is hard work."

Shay shrugged. "Being a bird's probably hard work too. Flapping your wings all day, you know?" (4.18-9)

Again, we'd wear Shay's line on a t-shirt. She may be wrong at times, but she's got a great insight here about freedom and work: the hoverboard may make one as free as a bird, but being free takes work. (You're never totally free; even when you're totally free from other people, you've still got to eat, as Tally discovers with her mountain of SpagBol.)

Quote #3

"Here's option two." Tally touched her interface ring, and the wallscreen changed. This Tally was sleek, with ultrahigh cheekbones, deep green catlike eyes, and a wide mouth that curled into a knowing smile.

"That's, uh, pretty different." (5.1-3)

Now, as Tally notes, this "morpho" probably won't pass the committee; it's a little too Halloween-y for every day. So she can't make her face into anything she wants. But she does have some freedom to choose some qualities for her face. So even the thing that looks totally confining (the pretty surgery) has some limited freedom. You know, like the freedom to choose whether you want Coke or Diet Coke.