It's the classic chicken-or-the-egg issue: does power corrupt characters, or are characters already corrupt and therefore seek power in the book Sold? It's hard to tell because power is generally sought and used for different ends.
Some characters—like Mumtaz, Uncle Husband, and Auntie Bimla—use the power they have over others for financial gain. Other characters—like the stepfather and the men who visit Happiness House—use power granted to them by social norms and values to take advantage of women. In this novel, then, power is tied closely to manipulation, social values, control, and violence. So we need to keep our eyes open for how Lakshmi regains enough power to orchestrate her rescue.
Questions About Power
- Who is the most powerful character in the novel, and how does this person maintain his or her power?
- Which characters have been corrupted by power? Which characters were already corrupt before they had power? What makes you say this?
- How is money tied to power and corruption in the novel? Why do you think this?
- How is manipulation tied to power in the novel Sold? What makes you say this?
Chew on This
Mumtaz is as powerless with the policemen as the girls are with Mumtaz, and this lack of power makes her a more sympathetic character.
Violence and the threat of violence are the only ways for characters to maintain power in Sold.