Social Issues

In the book, "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld, a young girl named Tally will receive a life changing operation, transforming her from a "repellent ugly" into a "stunning pretty". A world of pretties is the only way to make everyone equal. It solves the long-ago problems of judging people by appearances and waging wars based on skin color. Two social issues that are present  in the book would be disrespect and inequality. They both play a role in the book because you are only considered equal if you are a pretty. " Without her interface ring, she was invisible to vehicles. They'd just run her down like she was nothing. Of course. Tally was nothing, nothing but an ugly."(Westerfeld, 7) The "uglies" and "pretties" are separated into two different towns and are treated very differently. "The mansion was filled with brand new pretties- the worst kind. They lived like uglies, a hundred or so together in a big dorm. But this dorm didn't have any rules like the uglies. Unless the rules were Act stupid, Have Fun and Make Noise." (13).           

                            Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse, 2005. Print

In the book, Uglies, disrespect and inequality play a significant role, as they meaningfully contribute to the plot. Without these social issues there would be no crisis. The way the uglies are treated is very unfair, and because of what Tally looks like she is faced with different complications, so in order to live an ideal lifestyle she must transform into a pretty.