Lakshmi's Strength

In Sold by Patricia McCormick, so far of what I have read Lakshmi has been lied to, beaten, starved, drugged, and raped. Being an open-minded girl she learned to trust her "Auntie" and "Uncle-husband" before she knew that you can't anyone in the city with you. She is four days of travel away from home, traveled two cities that she has no information on, a huge debt to pay, and people to escape in order to get home. She's pretty much trapped. What stood out to me the most was Lakshmi's strength to fight for what she believes in when she has no one. To be honest, in the beginning I kind of just thought her life automatically sucked due to hunger and poverty. But I learned that being poor is almost like a protection on the harsh world- and makes life worth living for things that are more important like family, like how Lakshmi is willing to work for her Ama and baby brother. Another thing I noticed about Lakshmi is she ages  from a strong, excited to work in the city kid who goes to someone who's experienced too much of the real world.

One example of how hunger makes Lakshmi stronger is when Mumtaz threatens to starve Lakshmi when she refuses to do her work. "What she does not realize is that I already know hunger." The way she explains her strategies makes me think how lucky I am to not have to face those, but it also shows how experiences add to her strength. It made me think about the way you can't tell someone's strength when you don't know what they've gone through- when she says "Mumtaz, with her doughy wait and fat mango face, doesn't know the match she's met in me." Which is true. All Mumtaz expects to happen is for her to starve until she has no choice but to work. This also was setting me up for disappointment, because like I said, you can't make a judgement before you know them. Unfortunately Lakshmi doesn't know the match she's met in Mumtaz, or the city itself.

What made me think Lakshmi's home makes her stronger on the inside is when I realized that she knows she has a lot to live for. When Anita tells Lakshmi "There is another way to use your shawl. The new girl the one in your room' she says, 'Yesterday morning Mumtaz found her hanging from the rafters.'" Though Lakshmi doesn't talk too much about this it was powerful to me. It made me think why Lakshmi is willing to starve, and get beaten, and attempt to run away but never bring death to herself on purpose. That girl, must have not had such a great home. With people starving and the man gambling their money away in Nepal, I would've thought Lakshmi would end it all if I hadn't read the pages before and got to know Lakshmi. Before she leaves for the city she tells her upset Ama " 'If I go, you will have money enough for rice and curds, milk and sugar. Enough for a coat for the baby and a sweater for you. Enough,' I say, 'for a tin roof'.'" There are too many examples of Lakshmi talking about her fantasies of her family having food and goods for me to put here. I just know from that she would never give up so easily on her family to end her life when they're depending on it.

I see Lakshmi change dramatically when she is drugged and she's experienced so much. The first day of her being in the "Happiness House" she refuses to do this "dirty business" and is sure she will escape at night. She says she definitely was supposed to work as a maid, and that's what she's supposed to do. It's like she reassured you nothing bad will happen. Like in the movies, the problem is always solved, or they achieve their goal. It's sad but it's realistic, when you grow up in a world without so much lying and cheating you don't expect it from others. I think she makes this realization when she finally looks in the mirror- seeing a different girl in the mirror. "She looks back at me full of sadness and scorn and says, You have become one of them."

I feel like though all these events are horrible but Lakshmi will survive it all. I think that she is strong and knows what she has to live for. I still wonder how she'll get through and I hope her personality and strength isn't damaged too much.