Imagery of Power
The superiority of Specials is made clear through the way that the powerful imagery that surrounds them contrasts with the docile imagery bestowed upon the Pretties, a dichotomy encapsulated in the way that they call the Pretties 'bubble-heads' whilst stating that Specials are 'beyond human'. This power is not innate - it is not something bestowed upon them in the surgery - but is instead a frame of mind, 'it didn't matter what you looked like. It was how you carried yourself, how you saw yourself'. The power of the Specials comes from their belief that they are the best people in the city, which is a self-fulfilling prophesy because it is one that can be solely fueled by their own hubris.
Imagery of Morality
At the beginning of the 'Uglies' trilogy, Tally's opinions of morality are clear: Pretties are good and Uglies are bad. However, 'Specials' subverts that expectation. The Specials, who are the arbitrators of the city's morality, are described as 'cruel pretty', a prettiness that has been corrupted by their greed and sense of superiority. The Uglies of the New Smoke, in contrast to this, are fighting for what is good. Tally begins to quantify morality differently, and the aesthetic references for it flip. She and David become an item, despite the fact that she is cruel-pretty and he is ugly and, in the final line of the novel, she highlights the change that has come over her, stating that 'the next time we meet, it might get ugly'. Here, ugliness is viewed in a positive moral light and it is Tally who is bringing the ugliness to the Pretties. The message is clear: Tally's world has changed, ugliness is not any worse than prettiness, and is essential to balance the progress of the New Smoke and the eco-conscious morality of the City.
Imagery of Freedom
The hoverboard is the symbol of freedom in the novels of the 'Uglies' trilogy. It is only by hoverboard that people can escape the cities and, in the simple act of hovering, be freed. In 'Specials', the hoverboards are explicitly linked to freedom of thought, it being said that 'controlling someone by changing their brain is like trying to stop a hovercar by digging a ditch. If they think hard enough, they can fly right over'. In this way, the hoverboard and free thought are directly allied and it can be seen that being free from the City does not necessarily mean flying away from it physically, freedom can also mean disengaging from the thoughtless, 'Pretty', state of mind and having the grit to think for yourself.
Imagery of Love
As stated before, Tally's views of the moral value of aesthetics changes over the course of 'Specials'. Although she is initially repulsed even by Pretty faces, she learns to look at them and falls in love with Zane for the second time. When he dies, Tally has to re-evaluate her stance on life without love in it, which she initially responds to with anger, 'they couldn't see how maddening death really was, how colossally pointless in every way', but eventually comes to accept. The true imagery of love in the novel can be seen between her and David. It is not that Tally can ignore his flaws, like she did with Zane, it is that she has learnt to accept them. Taking on 'five million years of evolution', she has unlearnt everything that the City taught her about the moral degeneracy and simplemindedness associated with being an Ugly and has rewired her mind to accept David as he is. It is this unconditional acceptance that Westerfeld presents as true love.
