Christina Euphrat- Post #3

One would think that the imagery and story telling of being raped would include an immense amount of dark and vivid detail, however, in Patricia McCormick's, Sold, the author makes Lakshmi have a very narrative and direct tone with little emotion behind what is actually happening.

This tone can be depicted through diction such as when Lakshmi explains, "I pound the door. I howl like an animal. I pray. I pace the room. But I do not cry" because she is not explaining how she feels, but instead telling the story, narratively and to the point (108).

The images that the author uses, such as the direct image of when Lakshmi illustrates, "Then he is on top of me, and something hot and insistent between my legs" shows how this real, tragic event is actually happening to her, yet she explains it as if it is just a part of her every day routine, even though this was her first time, and most likely terrifying (120).

The details that Lakshmi uses, for instance the details of the world around Lakshmi in the Happiness House add to the direct tone of the author. She describes that when she is being raped, she hears "horns bleating in the street, the peanut vendor hawking his treats, the pork of a rubber ball as the children shout and play in the schoolyard near by" (127). She does not say that she longs to be out there in the world outside of the happiness house; she just says it how it is and states the facts, making her seem very direct and to the point.

Through Lakshmi's innocent and confused language, we can see why she seems so narrative and direct. She does not understand why she is going through what she is having to endure, so she describes what she is experiencing in a way that a confused 13-year-old would describe it to be. It's not an easy concept for anyone to grasp, yet alone a 13 -year- old. She just says what it is that is happening through language that a young, innocent, and confused girl would speak with.

The syntax of the story, which includes very short, to the point sentences, is a main contributer to the tone of the author. The sentences are short, some being fragments. For example, Laksmhi says "Until the next Twilight" and "Until it starts again" referring to the time in between customers (126-127). These sentences are very short and to the point, showing the narrative and direct tone of the book.