Sold Theme of Slavery

Slavery in Sold is most likely different than what Americans think of when they hear the word slavery. Many of the girls in Happiness House are victims of human sex trafficking. They are stuck at the brothel either by force or by lack of other choices—their families reject them or they have no other place to go or other options. And many of the girls have been manipulated to fear the outside world and the very people who can save them.

The psychological and physical torment the girls endure is downright brutal, so much so that at least one unnamed girl commits suicide. So slavery is integrally tied to force, fear, manipulation, abuse, and—most of all—the removal of choice from one's life.

The novel is not only meant to illustrate the extent of suffering brought about by enslavement in Happiness House, but also how sex slavery is perpetuated. Though we follow Lakshmi's story intimately, we catch glimpses of the larger pictures of sex trafficking in that part of the world: the supply chain, the monetization of a human being, the demand for girls, the options that are available to brothel workers. Because of the other characters' story lines, we come to believe that Lakshmi's move toward freedom is the exception, not the norm. And that is heartbreaking.

1. Who is most responsible in the novel for enslaving the girls at Happiness House? What makes you say this?
2. Are Shilpa and Pushpa victims in the same way Lakshmi is a victim of human trafficking? Why or why not?
3. How does corruption of authority affect the existence of slavery in Sold?
4. Look at how Lakshmi is brought to the brothel and her life in the brothel. If the characters in the novel were to try to interrupt the cycle of human trafficking and abuse, where is the best place in the cycle to do it? That is, what is the weakest link in the trafficking chain?

The people most to blame for the perpetuation of sexual slavery are the men who visit the brothel.

The Americans who try to rescue Lakshmi will never be able to understand the psychological and physical effects of slavery on her unless they, too, have experienced slavery.