Previous

Dr. Cable is the primary antagonist of the novel. It’s her ultimatum that sets up Tally’s moral dilemma: Infiltrate the Smoke or stay ugly. Tally knows enough not to completely trust Dr. Cable, but Dr. Cable is able to outwit Tally with ease at the beginning of the novel. Dr. Cable is a “special” Pretty. Not only is her brain left intact, but it is engineered to be smarter, more calculating, and more fiercely manipulative than a standard Pretty. When Tally first sees her, she thinks she looks more like a predatory bird than an engaging beauty. There’s an awful and terrifying quality to her beauty. 

When Dr. Cable finds Shay’s coded note in Tally’s belongings and uses it as bait to get Tally to agree to be a spy. Dr. Cable, however, is not immune to Tally’s lying. Tally outwits Dr. Cable on several occasions. When Dr. Cable questions Tally at the Smoke about where the pendant is, Tally is able to convince Dr. Cable that she hid the pendant to protect herself from the Smokies after she activated it. Since Dr. Cable is all about self-preservation herself, it’s easy for her to assume that Tally is telling the truth. Dr. Cable ends up becoming overpowered by David and Tally, and her documents are stolen by Maddy, showing even Special Pretties are not impervious to rebels.

Previous section David

Take a Study Break