Sold Essay Questions

How does Sold use repetition and lists to illustrate Lakshmi’s emotional states?

Throughout the text, Lakshmi lists the sights, sounds, and scents of the environments she encounters. While traveling through the “hurry-up” city, Lakshmi lists vendors she rides by in quick succession, which simulates the fast-paced environment Lakshmi is thrust into and conveys Lakshmi’s overwhelmed, anxious emotional state. When Ama, and later Shahanna, instruct Lakshmi on how to succeed as a wife and then as a sex worker, their instructions are listed without much input from Lakshmi. Since Lakshmi is an introspective, thoughtful character, listing instructions unaccompanied by Lakshmi’s interpretation of their meaning demonstrates that Lakshmi does not understand the purpose of Ama and Shahanna’s advice. This structure also conveys a sense of resigned hopelessness.

Why does Lakshmi's story end ambiguously?

Sold ends with Lakshmi revealing herself to the American authorities who raid the brothel. The final line of the text is “‘My name is Lakshmi,’ I say. ‘I am from Nepal. I am fourteen years old,” the English phrases Lakshmi practiced with Harish. It is unclear from the ending whether or not the Americans take Lakshmi to the shelter, as promised, or shame her, as Lakshmi’s friends cautioned. Since Lakshmi’s story represents the horrific lived experiences of sex trafficking survivors, some of whom escaped their fates and others who did not, the conclusion of Lakshmi’s journey is open to interpretation. The closing line, powerful and hopeful, underscores that Lakshmi’s experiences are made more horrific, given that she is a child.

How is Lakshmi's naïveté her downfall, and how is it her salvation?

Lakshmi is only thirteen years old when she is taken from her home and forced to work in a brothel. Having never left her home village, Lakshmi is quick to trust Aunty Bimla and Uncle Husband without question. However, Lakshmi's trusting nature also helps her maintain a sense of hope that she will return home, while the other women in Happiness House do not expect their fates to change. When Lakshmi tries to ask Mumtaz for a loan, Shilpa laughs at the young girl's naïveté. Lakshmi believed her family was receiving a portion of her wages and that she would leave Happiness House eventually. However, Shilpa and the other women know that Mumtaz keeps all the money for herself and does not allow anyone to leave Happiness House until they are too ill to continue working. Despite the countless betrayals Lakshmi endures, she still chooses to trust the tea seller and the American to help her escape the brothel.

How is the poverty Lakshmi experiences in her village different from the poverty she experiences in the city?

In Lakshmi’s village, her family often went without food due to droughts, floods, and her stepfather’s gambling addiction. Her family lived in a small thatch-roofed hut with few possessions; Lakshmi did not even own a pair of shoes. In the city, Lakshmi has what she considers luxuries, such as fine clothing, makeup, jewelry, and a television. However, she is confined in the Happiness House, disconnected from her family and nature, and is sexually and physically abused.

What coping strategies do the women in Happiness House use to process the abuses they suffer?

The women in Happiness House are exploited and traumatized daily and find different ways to escape reality. Shilpa, who became a sex worker at a young age, drinks excessively to numb her pain. Monica affirms her belief that she will be honored when she returns to her family and immerses herself in movies and magazines. Many women in the brothel intentionally get pregnant in order to create families to replace the ones they lost. Lakshmi dreams of home and pretends she is still in school, learning English and Hindi with Harish. Ultimately, it is her refusal to relinquish her memories of home and her dedication to learning that give her the ability and courage to escape the brothel.