Sold

Sold is a story of hope in the face of all adversity, a story of what could have been, and a story of the struggles of a girl who is let down by almost all of the men in her life. From the very first page of the story, we see that Lakshmi lacks a trustworthy man in her life; yet, she still hopes for a better life for her and her mother. The tin roof that she longs for is what drives her to do everything that she can to help her mother in spite of her step-father’s failings. “A tin roof means that the family has a father who doesn’t gamble away the landlord’s money playing cards in the tea shop” (McCormick 1). Lakshmi’s mother is a strong woman. She is hunched over from carrying heavy baskets up and down the mountain all day. She never complains and fulfills her role of wife dutifully. Lakshmi thinks she is beautiful. Her step-father, on the other hand, while technically disabled from a broken arm in his youth, makes no effort to help his family. He heads out each day to gamble away what little money they have. “When he looks, (at the cucumbers that she is growing), he sees cigarettes and rice beer, a new vest for himself.  I see a tin roof” (2).

Because Lakshmi’s best friend Gita was able to go and work for a wealthy family in the city, she has been able to send money home for her family. Gita’s family has a tin roof on their hut, electric lights hanging from their ceiling, and money for spectacles, a fancy wedding dress and an education for her brother. This is one of the few ways that a girl can help to provide for her family. Lakshmi desires to follow in Gita’s footsteps to make life easier for her mother. It is at a very difficult time, when Ama is sick and Lakshmi is tending to the household, when Lakshmi finds out that she will get her chance to go into the city and work as a maid. She discovers this news when she finds Ama weeping behind their house. Lakshmi finds strength that she never knew she had and tells Ama that she will send her wages home. “Enough for a coat for the baby and a sweater for you. Enough for a tin roof” (49). Little does Lakshmi know that she is about to be majorly let down by a man in her life for the first time.

By having the novel told in the first person, we are able to go along for the ride with Lakshmi. Her youth and naivety are on full display when her step-father is haggling over a fair price for his daughter. Lakshmi still believes she is going to be a maid in the city. The two are contrasted here in the items that are bought. While her step-father is loading up his basket with cigarettes and chewing gum, Lakshmi places a sweater for Ama and a coat for the baby into the basket. While he is thinking only of himself, she is selflessly thinking of others. This only makes his actions that more despicable.

Lakshmi is about to find out that the world is full of illusions, that things aren’t always what they seem. Her step-father, a man who is supposed to care for her, has just sold her as a sex slave. The woman that takes Lakshmi into the city is dressed beautifully. Lakshmi thinks that she may even be a movie star. When Lakshmi mentions this to her, she removes the veil from in front of her mouth and smiles, revealing a set of blackened teeth. Soon she is sold again to a man who she calls her “uncle husband.” He seems kind and helps her to get into the city, yet he slaps her when he is provoked. And finally, she enters “Happiness House,” the biggest ruse of them all. This house will provide her with anything but happiness. This is the second time that Lakshmi is let down by a man in her life. She thought that her “uncle husband” was watching out for her, had her best interest at heart. His only interest in her was delivering her to Mumtaz so that he could be paid.

After Lakshmi has been at Happiness House for some time, you would think that she would have lost all hope. This is not the case. Just like the jailed women in The Bathhouse, the women in Happiness House provide a sense of community. They depend on each other to get through this painful situation. Gender roles are not always what one would think them to be in this novel. Even though women generally occupy a lower rung in the societal ladder, there are women of power in the novel, namely Mumtaz, Bimla and Bajai Sita. These three women haggle with men and make a killing doing it, yet the means by which they make their money is deplorable. This doesn’t mean that all the women in the novel are evil though. Shahanna helps Lakshmi adjust to her new life and she becomes friends with Anita. Monica is the highest earning woman in Happiness House and we later learn that she is sending money home for her daughter’s school fees. Each woman does what she has to do in order to survive Happiness House, and they lean on each other to get through. In the same sense that not all the women of the novel are evil, neither are all the men. Harish is Pushpa’s eight-year-old son who lives in the house. He befriends Lakshmi and teaches her how to read in English and Hindi. There is also the tea vendor who brings Lakshmi gifts and shows her kindness. And of course, there is the American who pretends to be a customer to gain information and ultimately sets Lakshmi free.

This is a beautiful novel, written in simple prose, which sheds a light on a horribly dark subject. Unfortunately, this is not just a third-world problem. Sex-slavery happens in the United States, whether we want to admit it or not. Patricia McCormick does a wonderful job of starting a dialogue. This is a book that stays with you long after you put it down. I find myself sitting here wondering what happened to Lakshmi after she was set free and how many other girls out there are in that same situation. You get the sense from her last lines that Lakshmi will be alright, that she hasn’t lost the sense of who she is.

“My name is Lakshmi,” I say.

“I am from Nepal.

I am fourteen years old.”