THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS: FREE BOOK NOTES


CONFLICT

Protagonists

The Protagonists are Carmen, Tibby, Bridget, and Lena as well as the magical Traveling Pants, which impact them so positively. They are a group who are forever linked, first because they were all born around the same time to four mothers who were friends as well, and second, because they take an oath on the Traveling Pants to always stay friends and rely on each other for their support.

Antagonist

Many of the minor characters at one time or another are subtle antagonists, but their impact is not even worth mentioning when we think of the antagonist called one's inner self. The four girls find themselves in conflict with their inner selves much more often than any other person or object.

Climax

The climax is different for each girl. For Carmen, it occurs when she makes the mature decision to attend her father's wedding. For Lena, it occurs when she finds the courage to apologize to Kostos and admit how much she likes him. For Bee, it comes when Lena arrives to give her a shoulder to cry on and allow her to stand up on her own and go home. And for Tibby, it comes with Bailey's death, when she discovers that life is all about the small pleasures we experience.

Outcome

Carmen is able to compromise with her father and his new family and by doing so, she truly becomes a family member. Lena and Kostos vocalize the feelings they have for each other and then, she heads to Baja to help Bee find her way home. Bee feels lost and adrift, unable to make even simple decisions until Lena arrives and gives her the strength to face the choices she has made and face the future optimistically. Finally, Tibby accepts the deaths of Mimi and Bailey and learns that life is all about the simple pleasures.

SHORT PLOT / CHAPTER SUMMARY (Synopsis)

This novel relates the story of four young girls, friends since their births, who make a pact on a pair of magical blue jeans to stay friends forever even though they are parting from each for the first time the summer after their sophomore year. They each have a variety of adventures both wearing the Pants and without them, and each one learns valuable lessons about the pleasures and the sorrows of life. Like a bildungsroman, which is a tale relating a young man coming of age, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants reveals the life passages that young women experience as they come of age as well.