n Forbidden Clothes by Jamila Gavin we have the theme of freedom, obedience, conflict, identity, tradition, culture, rebellion, respect, friendship and acceptance. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Gavin may be exploring the theme of freedom. Nasreen feels free when she is with Louise. She is able to dress as she likes and to wear make-up. Something that she is not allowed to do in your own community. She is bound or hindered by tradition yet she wants to rebel against it when she can. In order to feel like a young teenager who has the world at their feet. Instead Nasreen is culturally stifled by her parents and her community. Knowing that by the age of sixteen she will be forced to marry a man that she has never met before and who will expect her to be an obedient housewife. If anything there is a real conflict in Nasreen’s life and she feels guilty about how she is acting. The reader aware that Nasreen feels uncomfortable going against her parents’ wishes. This may be important as despite her rebellion against her community. Nasreen still respects her parents’ traditions and faith.
