Which characters or events is the author referring to with the title Only the Beautiful? What does this title signify to you?

Which characters or events do you think the author is referring to with the title Only the Beautiful? What does this title signify to you?

To me that means that anyone with a defect can't be beautiful.

Not sure which characters she was referring to - I guess anyone who wasn't up to society's standards???

I think Only The Beautiful connects to the awful Eugenics Policies in Nazi Germany and America,meaning that only the beautiful and perfect people should live.

My impression from the title of this book is “only the beautiful” deserve to live and that anyone that is different does not. According to the heart wrenching eugenics policies that were in place.

Perhaps the title is asking us to think about whether it is our uniqueness or our similarities that make us beautiful. There is an old saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Who should get to judge whether or not our differences make us beautiful or damaged humans.

Fantastic answer, cindyb!!

I agree with cindyb.

We have all read about how the Nazis enforced their ideals of physical beauty. Just remember the lebensborn institutions, where selective breeding was practiced. The United States has also been guilty of deciding who should and who should not reproduce. Involuntary sterilization was practiced in mental institutions and on Native Americans living on reservations well into the seventies.

In addition to the physical beauty that Cindyb noted, I think the title referred to the inner beauty/personality of the three women united at the end of the book: Rosie, Helen and Amaryllis. I found it interesting that the author ended the story with Helen’s observations about almost being able to see the colors Rosie probably saw when Amarylis spoke, “bursts of color…tumbling about like jewels. And they are beautiful.”

Yes, I think CindyB said it so well and I also picked up on what Jill referenced. The Nazis certainly took it to an extreme, appearances were everything. You could be a full German, but it was even better if you were blond and blue-eyed.

I believe the title Only the Beautiful is referring to the policy of the Nazis during World War II to eliminate or exclude from power any group/groups that did not exemplify the Aryan philosophy or physicality . The Nazis were not the only group to follow this belief, but considering the setting of this book it appears to connect most with that philosophy. I also think the cover looks very similar to a Nazis propaganda poster that appeared on some posters or such?