The Ugly Barnacle, as a motivational story, falls flat. For the first half, the reader expects an uplifting spiritual journey of an ugly barnacle overcoming its physical flaws and learning to accept itself for what it is; the Downer Ending is a clear attempt to avert the Dead Horse Anviliciousness common to this type of tired tale, but overshoots its target and causes the reader to feel let down and possibly even more depressed than when they began. As a standalone work of fiction, it does fairly well, but I don't recommend The Ugly Barnacle if one hopes to feel better about oneself, or to assist another in the same; they will most likely find that it doesn't help at all.

The Ugly Barnacle was supposed to be a children's book, but since then it has been embraced by many. Why? Maybe because the story is so deep and, well, moving. It revolves around an ugly barnacle that, was, well, ugly.

However, was the barnacle really ugly, or was it just that everyone else was too selfish and shallow to realize that he was at least average-looking? This clearly shows how corrupt society has become and that if you don't conform everyone will leave you. No one tried to get to know the ugly barnacle. Maybe their hatred was what really made the barnacle ugly.

Or the barnacle just went on a murderous rampage and killed everyone.

The story isn't nearly as simple as Spongebob Squarepants leads us to believe. Really, it is much darker than one would expect and whenever I think about it, I weep. The characters were all well-rounded and fully developed.

I also like how much it gives us by Wild Mass Guessing. The story is so deep that we need, like, seven subpages.

You know why it didn't help at all? Because Spongebob didn't understand it. If he did then maybe it really would help. So what if everyone died? That doesn't mean it isn't a good story. And Patrick's voice clearly set the mood.

In short, The Ugly Barnacle is one of the most amazing children's books ever written and I am certain that it shows that in this dark world, there are a few sane people left.

You go, ugly barnacle. You go.

Yes. You read that title correctly. In all other stories, tiny cracks in the ceiling let in a tiny ray of light every once in a while, even if the entire thing is tragedy from beginning to end. Some beacon of hope, some small joy allowed to the characters before their lives fall apart . . . something. Not in The Ugly Barnacle.

The story begins in something of a dystopia. The titular character himself finds that he is ugly enough to garner pure, distilled hatred from his peers. However, in a fantastic take on the nature of bullying, the story implies misery on the part of the rest of the population as well. They do not taunt the ugly barnacle because it brings them pleasure, but because he is ugly, they have come to fear for their lives, as to them, the ugly barnacle is not an animal, but a beast. The amount of character development fit into such a short time is astounding.

Unfortunately, as the tale progresses, it becomes clear that the bullies' fear is not unwarranted. In the end, everyone dies. However you interpret the ending, it is a tragedy. Either the ugly barnacle is now, for the rest of his life, going to feel guilty about something he had no control over, or he's dead.

This thing is painted in various tones of pitch black. However, if you can make it through the cave, I think you'll find one of the greatest works of the 20th Century. Perhaps, however, it won't help at all.

In this thrilling tale, a young Barnacle, simply known as the Ugly Barnacle, has became so physically mutated and abnormally disfigured that he becomes a creature so grotesque that the mere sight of him caused his peers to spontaneously succumb to an untimely demise. Shocked at the horror of what the Ugly Barnacle has caused, he is left flabbergasted, and the story is cut to a guessing, premature, ending. What will happen next to the heroic young Barnacle? How will his disfigurements be cured? Such interesting and important questions this psychologically stirring tale has left us. I highly recommend seeing this work, but I suggest not to tell depressed friends about this melancholy tale, as it wouldn't help lift their mood.

Once, there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died.

At first it seems like a very simple tale, of a barnacle being so ugly that he kills everyone. But, if you look closer, you'll see that it is much more complex than it let on. You can imagine the pain the barnacle went through being ugly, the terror of the people that were killed by his ugliness, and his loneliness, being the last living creature left after such a tragedy. This raises questions though. How did he get so ugly? What made his ugliness so bad that it was lethal? And exactly how much is "everyone"? The beauty of this story, however, is that it is so blunt. It tells you what happens, but sets up no back story, leaving you to wonder the above points and more. If I had to guess, the barnacle ate some radioactive stuff, which in turn made him ugly. He was immune to the radiation he was giving off, and lived his normal life. But, the things he came in contact with got his radiation, and all died. He realized that he had killed everyone else in the world, as he was a traveler, and locked himself up, where he starved to death and himself died, and so EVERYONE DIED.

The end.

I would recommend this story to anyone who isn't afraid of being ugly, or is ugly and proud. If you do think you are ugly, you may find that it won't help at all.