I am reading this book called "Sold." I have been reading this book for quite some time because, I usually don't have time. In this book a lot has happened. And it gave me many mixed feelings. This book got me mad, extremely angry, and furious. I might sound redundant saying all the same words but spelled differently. But, this book really has gotten me mad. So many issues were brought to my attention. And I thought America had so many problems but, some countries like India have child prostitution. That is what had gotten me so upset with this book. There was child prostitution and the police officer knew what was going on but took a bribe to stay shut. So an illegal job can be taken place. Wow what honor did this police officer have?
There is a girl named Lakshmi and she has a terrible step dad. When I say terrible, I mean he was completely horrid. He didn't care about anyone but himself. He didn’t care about his family at all. He treated his wife like dirt he followed by this “eat your meal after your husband has had his fill. Then you may have what remains” (pg.15). She didn't get respect and the mom of Lakshmi was always telling her what she should do to please her husband when she gets older. She had to do whatever he wanted. Example: if he wanted his feet cleaned she would have to clean their feet. And when done cleaning the husband’s feet she would have to take some of the water and drink it. Now that is disgusting. And the step dad did care about finances whenever he got money he spent it on himself. The man could not get a job because he had a withered and broken arm. Since the family was poor, they could not afford a doctor to fix the arm that was lost. So they had not much money to start off with so when a chance was given to gamble he took it. On the day of the festival of lights the stepfather he “comes out of the hut, wearing his kingly hat and his big shoulders coat. He pats his chest, and I see Ama’s (the mom) money pouch around his neck” (pg.41). Around his neck and Ama’s pouch, are two key points about his greedy self. It was not his pouch of money it was Lakshmi’s mom’s pouch of money. Then this is what the step father says “This” He says, “is the auspicious night. This is the night when the goddess favors gamblers” (pg.41). After him saying this he bought a motorcycle and a fancy suit with the money he won in gambling to get the suit messed up. And the bike was stolen because he went to town flaunting what he had gained. He was just completely inconsiderate. From what I was reading I can imply that. The man of the house can do whatever and the women had no say. And when the women did say something they would be ignored.
There is this lady called Mumtaz in the book. She is supposed to be a good person and the book had me also believe that she was a good person I was wrong. I should have known that she was a bad person... the step father sold the girl to a man. The man took her somewhere, and made the girl believe that they were going to the city (the girl really didn't know where they were going because, they children of the mountains thought that the cities were of gold.) When the man and the girl reach their destination, they went to this building and the man. And the lady who owned the building talked. The man talked to the woman and he slapped her and the woman gave the man a whole bunch of money. She had a business called the “Happiness House” (pg.90) this should have given me at least an idea of what was going on. Mumtaz which is the owner of the Happiness House told Lakshmi sooner or later that she paid for her and that Lakshmi now works for her. These are the reasons that the woman was a bad person. Seriously, you are going to go through all that trouble for a girl. And the girl's job is to sleep with men that pay for her. That is just nasty. It is child prostitution, which is illegal in the United States but in the country the book was written in I am guess it is illegal but, not enforced.
Child prostitution this is the biggest thing that got me so upset with this book. Mumtaz studies me. “Are you ready to go to work?” she says in my language (pg.102). One Lakshmi is too young to work she is 13 years old, and in America you are not supposed to have a paying job at 13. Mumtaz what makes you think that Lakshmi is allowed to work? “Then Mumtaz flies at me. She grabs me by my hair and drags me across the room. She flings me onto the bed next to the old man. And then he is on top of me, holding me down with the strength of ten men. He kisses me with his lips that are slack and wet and taste of onions. His teeth dig onto my lower lip” (pg.103). This right here is an example of child prostitution an old man should not should be kissing a young girl of 13 in an inappropriate way. She is 13 she should not be having a job, a job with requirements for men paying for her to be thrown onto a bed and humped against her will. In America you would be thrown in jail, locked in a cell and have the key thrown away were no one can find it. “He thrusts his tongue in my mouth. And I bite down with all my might” (pg.103-104). You go girl you have the right to bite down on that old man’s lip you should not have been tongued down! I am proud that you bite him. After reading this all I could do was yell at the book with the anger that was steering through me if I was Lakshmi and in her shoes. I would have mad I ruckus I would have bit him on his lip, slapped him 3 times, curse at him, yell at him “YO WHO THE HAIL YOU THINK YOU ARE?!?!?!,” then I would have thrown something at him, and then run for my life.
In Conclusion the many problems this book was making me face made me become angry that these problems are real. I hear people saying be proud of what you have. But, until I actually read this book I understood that I should be happy. The author had put so much into writing this. I really think that these conditions need to be put at an end. Because, from what this book is saying, some people who live in the country are treated the worse Sold talks of women not much about men. But, from what this book is saying women are not as high as men. In America men and women have equal opportunity. The young girls can be sold for a price and can be put to prostitution. In America that is unbelievably and extremely illegal.
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