Sold is a book that showcases people in the most bare, simple, and real ways possible. The underlying tone in Sold is the depressing state of reality. No matter all the hope and dreams we have, people will be people. Hearts will be broken, and dreams crushed. No person in this world can handle the emotional capacity that Lakshimi was asked to have, we all become numb and turn to hope and empty promises. For example, the moment Lakshimi finds out that everything she has been working for is just a lie, that she has been cheated on, lied to, and led on. "'You will never pay off what you owe.' she says. 'Mumtaz will work you until you are too sick to make money for her. And then she will throw you out on the street.' I shut my eyes and shake my head from side to side. She is wrong. Because if she is right, everything I've done here, everything that's been done to me, was for nothing." (p.239) This quote showcases the tone of the book as a whole, it sets the tone of how a person is, and how they will be, in the lowest place possible. It exemplifies greed, grief, and hopelessness. Lakshimi, an innocent girl from a small village wanting to make money to send to her family, was put in the trap of our greedy society and this messed up market. But this is reality, this is the way it is, and she can't change it as much as she wants to.
Sold is a book I'll never forget. I have wept, loved, and been crushed on Lakshimi's journey and will never forget her story. Sold was an amazing book, that opened my eyes to the world around me, it made me open my mind past my petty issues and realized all the bad and real things happening. Sex trafficking is a sick business. Sex should be a mutual connection, it is a special thing shared, but to objectify these beautiful women to the point where they are paid for their bodies is disgusting. This book has changed my life, and I will never forget it.
Sierra although you make a very valid point, and it is true that most people do things with their own gain in mind, not all are like this. The friendship of Harish and Lakshmi, and the tea boy, are very valid examples of this, when Harish uses his own money to buy Lakshmi a pencil to write with and his little sister a toy. This gesture demonstrates the kindness in the boy's heart. "Today, Harish tells me, is the festival of brothers and sisters. He shows me the rag doll he is giving to Jeena. 'I bought it with my own money,' he says. Then he hands me a pencil. It is shiny and yellow and it smells of lead and rubber. And possibility….I have been starved and cheated, tricked and disgraces. How odd it is that I am undone by the simple kindness of a small boy with a yellow pencil,"(pgs: 182-183). Then the boy with the tea continues to leave her tea for free because he feels empathy for her situation, and then gets beaten for it later but continues on anyways. A person like that is not greedy. ""Then he takes out a cup of tea from the caddy and holds it out to me. 'Take this instead.' he says…..'I can bring you other things,' he says. 'Like sweet cakes." (pg:232). Although these boys are both one in many, they are proof that there is more to people than money, sex, and unneeded things.
ReplyDeleteThis discussion is very interesting, because it relates to our previous conversation about human's inherent need to be good or evil. This book clearly demonstrates both perspectives, by showing the horrific events that occur in our world today, and the kindness that people show- even at there own expense. I do believe, however, that this book is very uplifting despite the depressing images. Lakshima actually grows a ton in her journey- and probably becomes much more educated than she would have been if she had never left. She learns to speak english, learns what true friendship is, and she overcomes some of life's greatest hardships. She continues to fight for her freedom, and in the end she has a hopeful future, filled with knowledge, safety and growth. I believe this book is so powerful because the author did not hold back any important information, and showed what true perseverance looks like.
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