Lakshmi In The Book Sold By Patricia Mccormick

Imagine being sold into sex slavery by one of the most important people in your life…your father. Well this is what happened to Lakshmi in the book Sold by Patricia McCormick. Lakshmi, a 12 year old girl, lives in a village in Nepal. She lives with her goat, baby brother, mother, and stepfather. Lakshmi despises her stepfather because he does not have a job and he spends all the money that her mother earns on useless materials. Lakshmi is eager to work as a maid in the city to contribute money to her poverty-stricken family. Her stepfather sells her to a woman named Bimla. Lakshmi thinks that she is going to work as a maid in the city, but her life takes a turn for the worst: she becomes a sex slave. The place she is going to work at is called

Lakshmi states that “men give their money to Mumtaz” (McCormick 159) and Lakshmi is supposed to “take men to her room…and do whatever [the men] ask of [her]” (McCormick 106). The men pay Mumtaz money in order for them to exert their power over the girls. In the village Lakshmi lives in, women are supposed to “honor and praise…and respect” (McCormick 8) the men, and Lakshmi’s father takes advantage of that by “gambl[ing] away [their] money” (McCormick 1). Therefore, the stepfather has power over the family to take the money that the mother earns and spend it on useless materials. Mumtaz states that “[Lakshmi] belongs to [her]…and [she] paid a pretty sum for [Lakshmi]” (McCormick 106). This shows how Mumtaz used her money to pay for girls like Lakshmi so Mumtaz could have control over

For instance, Lakshmi is told that “the Americans will trick [her] into running away…[then] shame [her] and make [her] walk naked through the streets” (McCormick 142). This lie causes Lakshmi to believe for a while that she cannot trust the Americans. Her ignorance almost causes her not to be saved by them. In addition, Lakshmi is also lied to by Mumtaz because Mumtaz states that “[Lakshmi] will have to work at [Happiness House]…, until [her] debt is paid off” (McCormick 106). Mumtaz saying this puts false hope into Lakshmi because she thinks there is a debt to pay when really there is not. Another example is when Lakshmi believes that “[Bimla]…was taking her to the city to be a maid” (McCormick 249), but when she arrives at the house, she finds out that “[she] must bring m[e]n to [her] bed” (McCormick 142). Bimla is being deceitful because she does not tell Lakshmi what her job