"My name is Lakshmi" and I am Suffering

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     McCormick does a great job evoking emotion throughout the text and vividly captures the image of a girl experiencing human trafficking. I loved this book, especially because it hits so close to home. I have almost been involved in human trafficking and my experience happened right here in Spartanburg. This is a different story for a different day, but McCormick shares a message that I also want to portray: human trafficking is serious and real. I want to add that it can happen anywhere and to anyone.

One of the main themes incorporated into Sold is suffering; a reader can understand that Lakshmi encounters suffering from beginning to end, and even her family. Lakshmi suffers with losing her best friend, Gita. “…It feels like nighttime even in the brightest sun without my friend.” (McCormick, 4). As readers, we see in this quote how lost Lakshmi is. I think that the author’s purpose of throwing in Gita is to show how common human trafficking is and to set the stage for the rest of the story; knowing that eventually, Lakshmi will experience the same experiences as Gita. The text doesn’t exactly say that Gita was forced into sex trafficking, but it does say that she, “…is gone, to work as a maid for a wealthy woman in the city,” (McCormick, 3) and that Gita’s family is well off now that she is gone; being able to afford new pots, spectacles, a wedding dress for her older sister, and school fees for her brother. I think McCormick added this information to show the poverty level in Lakshmi’s neighborhood, and how common sex trafficking is in Nepal. We see from the beginning the loss that Lakshmi encounters and how it only goes downhill from there.

Lakshmi’s family is very poor, and her stepfather uses all of their money for gambling. We can see Ama’s sense of suffering on page 23 when the stepfather tells her that she will have to sell her earrings if the rain doesn’t come soon, “But today she hangs her head like the paddy plants and says, “Maybe tomorrow.”” (McCormick, 23). Ama suffers with giving Lakshmi away, because she knows in her head what Lakshmi will soon be experiencing. “She says she is not ill, but she has the look of a great sickness about her… Ama wipes her cheek with the hem of her shawl. “Your stepfather has said you must go to the city and earn your keep as a maid.”” (McCormick, 48). I think that McCormick includes this sense of suffering to show how hard it is to choose between your child, your husband, and wealth in these parts of the world. I can tell that Ama did not want to give Lakshmi away, but she follows the commands of her husband. I think that McCormick adds this relationship between Ama and the stepfather to show how women are controlled by men and to set the stage for Lakshmi’s suffering due to the many men that she is encountered by after she leaves home for “work.”

Lakshmi’s suffering is shown on many pages after she leaves home. She suffers when she first gets to the brothel, she suffers with the physical pain, and the mental pain from thinking about what is happening to her. She also suffers thinking about the memories from back home. She describes her first sexual encounter by saying, “With a sudden thrust I am torn in two.” (McCormick, 121). McCormick’s word choice is so important to me here. These words, “torn in two” embark pain on not only Lakshmi, but also the reader. This part was difficult for me to read because the text is so real that it is heartbreaking to think about. These words show suffering. The entire rest of the text shows suffering between Lakshmi and the other girls in the brothel. There are parts in the novel that mention happiness; though it is a struggle to find genuine happiness in the Happiness House.

This book was so challenging to read, and not because the words were difficult to comprehend, but difficult to hear the true reality of sex trafficking. McCormick’s purpose is to show how harsh these conditions are and the struggle that many young men and women have to go through; she uses the theme of suffering to show how heartbreaking sex trafficking is and raises awareness on how important it is to seek change in the world. Sold is heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking.

Comments

  1. Olivia BennettOctober 2, 2020 at 4:19 PM

    Hey Tori,
    Sooooo this is my second attempt to write this post because it deleted my first one for some reason *insert upside down smiley face*

    I love the comment you made in the last paragraph about how this book is a challenging read but not because of the words that McCormick uses. A lot of times difficult books are associated with books that use complex words and sentences. "Sold" is such a difficult read because it depicts such a heartbreaking reality for many young men and women. The topic and portrayal of sex slavery is a difficult one to discuss. Many times I had to put the book down because I was so heartbroken over what I had just read. McCormick uses basically all simple word pharsing and simple sentences throughout her novel. This creates a juxtapostion between her choice of words and the heavy topic of human trafficking. Through her use of simple words and pharses, McCormick really highlights the tough realities of human trafficking victims.

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