Sold

1097 Words3 Pages

In the book Sold by Patricia McCormick shares the story of Lakshmi who at the age of 13 is sold by her step father and is forced into the a life of prostitution. She is born and raised in a simple village community, her only trouble in life is her step father. Lakshmi will soon come to learn there is a whole world outside of her village and it is not as pure as she once believed. Lakshmi is starved and beaten until she finally comes to terms with her new fate. She tells stories of what happened to her while locked away, what she learns from the other girls, and what could happen to her if she angers Mumtaz. Lakshmi does not understand what is happening only they are happening to her. The experiences Lakshmi goes through can relate to everyones’ personal experiences in life.
For being such a young girl Lakshmi’s life is anything but perfect. Living in a small village in Nepal, her family is not wealthy and her step father drinks and gambles what little money the family does have. Lakshmi as such a young age does not understand, however, Ama says “Even a man who gambles away what little we have on a fancy hat and a new coat, is better than no man at all” (McCormick 38). Lakshmi understands that her family has no money, a bad roof, and little food this weights heavy on her young soul. She tries very hard to keep it inside and not show Ama how this makes her sad. Even with all of this Lakshmi still finds a way to daydream, her and Ama find themselves daydreaming a lot. “Instead, we linger over a luxury that costs nothing” Imagining what may be,” for Ama and her daughter it is all they have (29). All Lakshmi wants to do is help her family do better for themselves and she will stop at nothing to get a tin roof for their hut.
My famil...

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...n men and will wait for one of them to save her.
Finally after what seems like months one of the Americans finally comes back. Still afraid of what might happen if she is wrong about the American, what could happen if she can not escape and Mumtaz finds out that she spoke with the American. She is being pushed to stay and finally ends up in front of the American. Not sure what the say she utters the words, “My name is Lakshmi, I say. I am from Nepal. I am fourteen years old” (263). We never find out what happens to Lakshmi, Mumtaz or anyone else from this point. I want to believe that Lakshmi and the rest of the girls are rescues and taken far away form the hell the have been living in for many months and years. I want to believe that Mumtaz and her minions are thrown in jail for the rest of their lives. I want to believe Lakshmi would be reunited with her family.

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