51 pages • 1 hour read
Ann BrasharesSisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2001A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
In the Prologue, Carmen expresses her certainty that the sisterhood will never drift apart. What makes Carmen believe that their friendship will endure where their mothers’ did not? Is she correct in this belief? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Each of the protagonists experiences a pivotal moment of character growth that marks the progression of their coming-of-age journey. Identify what this moment is for each character. How are they different before and after?
How does each girl rely on her friends? What does each need from the others, based on her individual situation?
Explore the differences between the girls. Do these differences strengthen or weaken their bond?
What is the symbolic significance of the fact that the pants fit each of the girls perfectly? Why might Brashares have chosen to employ magical realism only in this one instance?
Carmen, Bridget, Tibby, and Lena all use each other as mirrors to some degree. How does each girl strengthen her sense of self through their collective relationship?
Consider Bridget’s “found family” with her friends. How does Brashares support the validity of a chosen family, and how does she develop Bridget’s character and her relationship with her biological family?
Both romantic relationships in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants involve an age gap of several years. Lena and Bridget are 15, while Kostos and Eric are 18 and 19. What do these age gaps mean for the narrative and for young readers?
Carmen is the only character to speak in the first person. Why might Brashares have chosen her to narrate the Prologue and the Epilogue? How would the portrayal of the sisterhood have changed if each of the characters narrated from a first-person perspective?
Early on, Carmen says that her friends “settle into types—Bridget the athlete, Lena the beauty, Tibby the rebel” (11). Are these accurate summations of each character? If so, have they grown beyond these archetypes by the end of the summer?
