Many of the texts we have read so far involve young adults who feel
isolated from their families, peers, or society. In "The Ugly One" by
Sharon G. Flake, Asia Calloway is an example of one such protagonist.
Asia Calloway is a recent transfer to Mulligan High School where she
is far from feeling popular or even included at all. Most high schools
are places driven by social statuses, which in turn are usually based
on appearance, and this is true of Mulligan. The boys call her "the
ugly one" while the girls refer to her as "Marbles," simply because of
the skin condition of her face. She says she is "still ugly, and all
by myself," showing the reader she feels alone. Her grandmother tries
to comfort her saying she "will grow up and be beautiful." While this
line is meant to comfort Asia, I think it further shows us her
feelings of isolation because it implies she is not beautiful now and
is therefore not yet fitting in with her peers.
In most young adult novels in which the protagonist feels isolated,
the protagonist usually finds at least one family member or friend
with whom she can confide. However, Asia has no one. The only "friend"
she has is her imaginary boyfriend, Ramon. He is not even real, making
Asia's story even more heart-wrenching.
What I find particularly interesting is that Asia also claims, "all I
want is to be invisible." She wishes to be invisible in the sense that
she wishes she could escape the stares of her classmates. However, I
think she also longs to be seen, just in a different light. She wants
to be seen as a human being and as the otherwise normal girl she is.
Asia, like many young adults, struggles between wanting attention and
not wanting it, especially if receiving it for negative reasons.
WTF
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