Voicing the Voiceless in Patricia McCormick’s Sold

Abstract

The novel, Sold, by Patricia McCormick deals with the Marxist dimensions of commodification, objectification, oppression, suppression, domination of one human by another in the capitalist society. This is the novel that focuses on the trafficking of a thirteen year old Nepali girl who is sold into sex trade in India. Moreover other characters too suffered in the brothel. Being in the chain of restriction as well as dehumanized condition, can marginalized people be able to educate and liberate themselves? The very curiosity is being answered with using the Marxist notions of Objectification and Commodification. The novel become the epitome to show that emancipation of under-class people is possible in the same society but the opposite pole that means upper class people should posses a refined thoughts to have a harmonious society. Under-privileged class who loses their human qualities and is compared to inanimate objects. Characters like Lakshmi, Street boy, Harish, Pushpa, Monnica, Anita etc are such characters who become the victims of objectification, however, some of them are shown to come up with backlash in the novel which paves the way for the present research for stitching the subject of revolutionary thrust in the spectrum of societal commodification of human and examined these issues through a close textual analysis applying Marxist theory of Reification and Commodification. The story Sold also suggests how marginalized class has established their agency to make their own decisions, to live dignified life.