I recently finished reading the book Sold which is about a young girl sold into sex slavery. She experiences terrible things, and is treated poorly. While I was reading, some lines really stuck out to me.
On page 168, Lakshmi says, " And so I consider a world so ugly that a child would be maimed for life to fetch and extra rupee or two. And another world full of bridge and marigolds, rain machines and white horses." This quote really made me realize how desparate, selfish, and heartless some people can be. Mumtaz is willing to hurt young kids, to chop off their arm or leg, just so she could get an extra rupee. This shows me how heartless she is. I also realized how selfish she is because she is cheating Lakshmi. Lakshmi has carefully sort out how many days she has left of being Mumtaz's slave, and Mumtaz tells her she is wrong, and she has many more days than she thought. Mumtaz will do anything for her money. She does not care that these young kids are being terrorized or hurt, and that they are doing this for their family. Although Lakshmi knows she is being cheated, she will not say anything, becasue she is scared. She knows how much power Mumtaz has, that she can easily throw her out and into the streets. She does not talk, and is scared to communicate.
Through out the book, she is learning a new language, where she learns to say:
"My name is Lakshmi"
"I am from Nepal"
"I am thirteen years old"
At the end of the book, Lakshmi comes out of her shell, and tells the American her name, age, and where she is from. She is not hiding, and she is not scared of Mumtaz at that point.
Before she came out and decided to go with the American, Lakshmi was determined to get out of the house. She was doing anything she could to get out of debt, even if it meant stealing from the men's wallets. She hid things from Mumtaz, and was determined not to get in trouble. She does not want to be here in this terrible place, she wants to be home with her loving mother and family. She is a brave girl, working hard through the abusive men and Mumtaz.
I noticed this change in her as well. She kind of flip-flopped throughout the book. As she was betrayed by the man who offered her the job as a maid and was betrayed by Mumtaz and by Uncle Husband, she learned not to be so naive. But this naive-ness goes both ways. It not only tells her who's lying. But who's not. She's learned who to trust and who not to. But who knows? Maybe the American was lying? We will never find out.
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