A Sadly Ironic Novel

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 Sold is by far one of the most heart-wrenching books I have read in a long time. When you take into account that Lakshmi's story isn't necessarily one of fiction, it makes the novel all the more horrifying. One thing that I latched onto in this book, however, was Lakshmi's namesake. In the beginning of the novel, she states that she is named after the Hindi goddess Lakshmi, but me being the mythology junkie that I am couldn't help but notice how relevant it was. A touch as small as the character's name adds so much weight and painful irony to the story that I can't put into words. 

For those not aware, the goddess Lakshmi is primarily known as the goddess of fortune, material wealth, contentment, luxury, and things of the like. With this being said, we can see several correlations between the character Lakshmi and the goddess; The first being her relationship with wealth and luxury. In the beginning of the novel, we see Lakshmi struggling through the seasons of drought and monsoons. During these seasons, she talks of tying her belt tighter to trick her stomach into feeling full and the continual wish for a tin roof. Lakshmi already has so little to her name only to have what little she has be taken away when she is sold to the brothel. It's a painful irony in realizing that Lakshmi has been stripped of her small pieces of contentment even though her namesake gives it out in large amounts. She is sold off to a brothel in hopes of sending her family fortune and money for a tin roof, possibly doing justice to the goddess, only to find that that too has been taken from her. 

Taking this into account, I find it fascinating that the author chose to name her Lakshmi. It almost serves as a reminder of what fortune she had the potential of having in contrast to the grim reality that she faces. 

Comments

  1. Candace BeebeOctober 4, 2020 at 8:23 PM

    I also thought that the meaning of Lakshmi's name was quite ironic. A young girl should have some luxury in her life, even if it is small. But she doesn't. And what is worse than that, she is not even given the basic human rights that all people should be allowed. So not only does she not have wealth, but she doesn't have safety or security. I also find it ironic that the idea of debt is what holds Lakshmi at "Happiness House". A little bit of money is all she needs to get out, or so she thinks, and she has none whatsoever.

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