The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

For teenagers, jeans are a must-have item in the wardrobe. But there is more to the pants revolving around the four girls in the novel than the garment. I am fascinated by the story because I tend to keep and store old clothing in the highest shelves by which I can remember the lost days or memorable moments. Certainly, I have jeans. However, “the traveling pants” is the sought-after item in my dream.

The magical pants were hanging quietly in a thrift shop, where they sold used objects. It was not until the day when Carmen happened to spot the jeans that the pants embarked on the magical trip. As it turned out, the plain-looking jeans shared joy and sorrow along with the journey that connected the four. The solid friendship of the four girls itself was magical. Carmen, Bridget, Lena, and Tibby, with four total different personalities, have been friends since their mothers were pregnant. Facing their first summer away from each other, they conveyed their message of love and care through the touch and smell of the traveling pants because they intentionally left the pants unwashed with dusts, muds, scratches, and even blood stain. However, the most fascinating part of the story is not about how the jeans could fit the four different figures perfectly but how these teenagers managed to get through all the trials and setbacks and tackled the emotional turmoil with the company of bosom friends.

As with other adolescents, friendship is an essential part of my life. The impact of true friendship is beyond words. As the story unfolded, I felt more connected to the main characters in the book, especially in their daily dialogue. For example, “You are allowed to be mad,” touched me. When Carmen, with her father’s wedding ceremony approaching, were overwhelmed with the anxiety that she might lose her father’s love, twelve-year-old Bailey said so. Sometimes, it’s just easier for people to be mad at the person they trust. “Because you trust that they’ll love you anyway,” what Carmen’s mother said alarmed me for what I’ve been always doing. I have long taken that for granted. My mom used to ask me why my attitude towards others is different from that towards my family. I tended to get angry with those I loved without any holding back. Blood is thicker than water. I believed that after all, family would always be a family on account of the blood running in every branch of our veins. But that is not the case for how they feel. Despite the genetic connections and the similarity of appearance, actually, you don’t really share much in common. The relation should be cared as well as any friendship or love, rather than just leave it there and let it rust.

The bond of the pants was a perfect example of how they caressed their silvered friendship like a newborn baby. As such, the power of sisterhood was revealed in every letter crossing from the starry Baja to the breezy little island of Greece. Each adventure of the girls was all sparkling with the glow of the youth and the fearlessness. In my experience, an unexpected encounter or episode breeds potentially amazing transformation. Tibby’s encounter with Bailey, whose little life ended fleetingly because of the torture leukemia had brought to her vulnerable body. That incident transformed Tibby from a cynical teenager to a mature, thoughtful one. Short as Bailey’s journey might seem, she remained a loving child in everyone’s heart. Shine like a comet she did.

The courage of these girls proved us that no matter what hardships or challenges we are facing, the sky will be the limit when we take a step further courageously. One single step can do miracles. You can’t ask the world to give you everything. “Maybe, you just go through it. Maybe that was all you could ask for.”(p.33) Maybe that’s just how you live your life; just keep your head held high and take the next step boldly. The uplifting attitude this story had shown has encouraged me to explore every degree of latitude and longitude on earth with the primitive passion “the traveling pants” take on.