Safe Area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia, 1992-1995

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, death, and religious discrimination.

Jeans are an important symbol in the text. Many of the girls in Goražde ask Sacco to get them jeans when he is in Sarajevo, even promising to pay him back: “‘Can you buy some Levi’s for me in Sarajevo? 501’s, originals. I can give you the money.’ She gave me her sizes. ‘But they must be originals’” (7). The excitement over these jeans, and the need for them to be original, reflects how the jeans symbolize the outside world and freedom to the girls in Goražde. Jeans also represent freedom of movement, a freedom that Goražde does not have: While Sacco can travel to Sarajevo, the townspeople cannot.

Having the jeans also comes with some social status, representing a connection to America. When one girl receives a knockoff pair, she is crushed: “[S]he’d been very specific about what sort of jeans they should send—the label said 501’s but—‘They’re not originals’” (193). The girl is disappointed that she does not have the “real” pants she asked for, believing that only American jeans are a status symbol. The need for and devotion to these jeans demonstrates how the youth of Goražde crave escape and connection to the wider world.