Quotes+&+Passages+-+A+Pair+of+Jeans

Miriam's inner conflict of being a part of two different worlds, is an essential problem in the story. The first passage describes this conflict at the point when Miriam is thinking about her situation right after showing her `other side´ to her future-in-laws. //[...] on each occasion she was always smarty but discreetly and respectably dressed in a traditional shalwar kameze suit. Never at any time had they glimpsed a jean-clad Miriam with an inch of midriff showing! In fact, judging by her mothers´s expression and lack of composure, it must have been a nasty shock! For now they are seeing her as a young college woman who was very much under the sway of western fashion and by extension its moral values. Muslim girls do not go outdoors dressed like that,...." (p.169/l.20-31)//** For Miriam it is difficult to live both sides of herself freely, because some people might judge her for either of her sides. We get to know that, in the past, Miriam has shown herself to her future-in-laws only in the traditional Pakistani way, and now she fears being judged by them.
 * //"..."It´s no use. They have seen another side of you- your other self."//

The gap between the two generations of immigrants is another essential issue of the story. For the first generation immigrants, who are often more deeply rooted in their traditions, it is hard to accept their children´s tries to integrate into the British-Western society in which they live. In this story, Miriam´s future-in-laws personify the first generation of immigrants and Miriam the second. She wants them to like her and to be chosen as their daughter-in-law. In the beginning Miriam tries to hide her Western part to be accepted by them. But in the end Miriam decides to take the initiative and to accept her role of being part of two worlds. After hearing that she was jilted with a "lousy" excuse, Miriam decides to see her fiancée, which is not the traditional Pakistani way to act in this situation. In the following passage Fatima thinks about Miriam´s reaction, and makes a decision.
 * //"If Miriam thought she had a right to consult Farook about this matter, then she had every right to do so, and she, as her mother, would support her! Times had indeed changed. They lived and were brought up in different Wolds, traditions and cultures. above all the world was quickly changing around them."//** **(p.184/l.23-27)**