53 pages • 1 hour read
Scott WesterfeldPretties
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Importance of Free Will
A central question of the novel Pretties is whether free will is more important than conformity for social betterment. Characters have vastly different perspectives as to whether protecting the environment and the species justifies subjugating the masses, and Westerfeld compares these perspectives while leaving enough room for doubt.
Tally, Zane, and New Smoke are firmly of the belief that free will is more important than societal gain. Maddy, David’s mother, founded Smoke with her husband when they discovered the presence of brain lesions that affect people’s actions and thoughts. She and her husband raised David away from the city, determined that he would never have to experience the curtailment of his free will. They built a rebel group centered on freeing people from this effect of the pretty surgery, going to great lengths to provide the cure. Tally and Zane take a highly experimental pill to achieve clearheadedness—a cure that leaves Zane brain damaged. Despite the consequences, Zane insists, “I hadn’t felt so alive since I’d turned pretty; it was worth it, being bubbly with you” (338). They believe the rewards outweigh the risks and that human freedom is necessary for progress.
This contrasts with the view of Dr. Cable and the other Specials, which maintains that free will is less important than the security of humanity. Dr. Cable claims, “Left alone, human beings are a plague” (135). Because history indicates that people are predisposed to violence and overconsumption, the brain lesions ensure that people get what they need without ever reaching beyond. The villagers on the reservation seem to reinforce this belief, as they are trapped in a cycle of revenge and violence that cannot be satisfied. Shay ultimately adopts this viewpoint as well, as her desperation to find a cure leads her to accept Dr. Cable’s offer to become Special. In doing so, Shay comes to believe that she is part of an elite group that guides those who need monitoring. Even Peris, Tally’s friend from her ugly days, is content with the life he has despite knowing it was forced upon him. He tells Tally, “[…] people are better now than they used to be. Maybe they have good reasons for changing us, Tally” (232).
Ultimately, Tally affirms her belief that free will outweighs the societal concerns at play in the city. However, the end of the novel sees her ability to choose stripped from her once again as she is forced to undergo the Special surgery.
Respect for History and the Natural World
In Pretties, Westerfeld sets up an extensive history that informs the choices of characters in the present. This history displays two primary trends: the way that mankind abused nature and the way mankind abused itself. The past acts as a warning for the characters as they navigate the dangers of their world and grapple with moral issues related to their history.
When Tally reflects on the history of her world, she is often dismissive of the people who once populated it (referred to as the Rusties). She is confused by their technology and the gluttonous lives they lived, often calling them “dumb” or “stupid.” The Rusties are the reason for many of the rules that govern her life, including restrictions on bonfires to keep carbon dioxide emissions low. To Tally’s society, these social structures and belief systems are further cause for disdain, but also a source of interest. Scientists developed a reservation to study and test theories about humanity while simultaneously searching for more ruins and artifacts. This combination of fascination and dislike frames history as a learning opportunity for the people of the city. History stands as a warning about what could eventually come to pass again if people are not careful.
While respect for history is rooted in fear, respect for nature stems from a place of admiration. Tally’s society is built around rules, regulations, and technologies that protect the natural world. While materials are abundant, they are also recycled, as Tally’s intelligent wall, which repurposes clothing Tally does not want anymore, showcases. Nanotechnology and manufactured bacteria dispose of refuse. The forests flourish because society no longer wishes, or needs, to consume their resources. Tally is often upset when she encounters New Smokies or villagers who seem to be abusing the natural world—a reflection of her society’s new respect for nature.
When taken together, these two perspectives reinforce the importance of learning from history and nature for the betterment of society and community. By presenting the story of the Rusties, Westerfeld implores the reader to study the world in which they live and be more conscious of what can be done to protect nature and, ultimately, humankind. The science fiction nature of the novel acts as a warning, highlighting the importance of making intelligent investments now for the benefit of coming generations.
Relationships and Community
Pretties contains a wide range of communities and relationships, emphasizing the importance of each for an individual’s growth and development. The novel presents platonic, nonplatonic, and community relationships but also shows what happens when those relationships fall apart.
Tally serves as the prime example of how a person can flourish with the support of others. She has a romantic attachment with Zane that culminates in him telling her that he loves her, she has friendships with the other Crims, and she has a community she strives to support through her bubbly actions in New Smoke. Much of what she does over the course of the novel centers on these relationships. She and Zane crash the skating rink both to help the other Crims become bubbly and to signal their cured status to New Smoke. The two plan their escape into the wild to rejoin New Smoke and help them infiltrate the city, ultimately bringing the cure to the rest of society. Although Tally has wronged many of her communities and her friends, she works mend these betrayals through acts of service that ultimately reinforce the importance of those relationships. This support system allows Tally to escape New Pretty Town.
Shay reveals what is possible when a person’s support system falls away. Shay was initially a member of Smoke but became pretty and lost many of her memories of the rebel group. She and Tally became friends again following Tally’s pretty procedure, neither remembering Tally’s betrayal. Shay is a member of the Crims and has relationships with them, but those relationships fall away when Shay remembers Tally’s betrayal and learns of the cure. Shay learns that her most important friendship is built on falsehoods—a fact that she cannot overcome within the novel. She instead attempts to construct her own community and in doing so attracts the attention of Dr. Cable, who offers her not only the cure but a new community in the Specials. Shay agrees to join, her desperation for both clearheadedness and a place to belong driving her to extremes that Tally, who was surrounded by people she trusted, does not experience. The end of the novel sees Shay forcing Tally to join her community, reestablishing a twisted form of an old relationship.
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