The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Study Guide

Summary

Chapters 3 and 4

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Summary Chapters 3 and 4

Tibby, with her nose ring and baggy clothes, seems to believe that she can understand people just by looking at them. But when Duncan judges Tibby based on her appearance and accuses her of stealing, she fails to see the error of her own ways. Tibby assumes that her summer is going to be terrible and that she’ll be surrounded by stupid, ridiculous people at Wallman’s. She is so convinced of her fate that she decides to make her “suckumentary” to document the horribleness of her experiences. When she meets Duncan, with his officious, managerial manner and adherence to Wallman’s rules, she immediately judges him to be a worthy star of her film. She never considers that there is more to Duncan than what meets the eye. Similarly, she deems the saleswoman with the long fingernails ridiculous, assuming that the fingernails reveal the woman’s inner self. These quick judgments are Tibby’s habit, but she doesn’t appreciate when this practice is turned on herself. She isn’t trying to steal from Wallman’s; she’d put the tape in her smock pocket accidentally. But Duncan doesn’t look past what he sees: a teenager with a nose ring trying to leave the store without paying for merchandise. The lesson seems clear, but Tibby sees this error as simply more insanity on Duncan’s part.

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