Innocence is primarily associated with youth, sexual inexperience, and idealism in Sold. On the mountain, Lakshmi—to some extent—leaves the innocence for the role of womanhood when she gets her period for the first time, and this implies that she can't be an innocent child and a woman (who can be sexually active) at the same time.
But this simplistic view of innocence vanishes when Lakshmi leaves her village on her journey to the city and, unknowingly, a brothel in India. In the brothel, we see Lakshmi's sexual innocence forcibly and brutally ripped from her—and yet despite her sexual experiences, Lakshmi seems to maintain some semblance of spiritual innocence. How can this be?
So we have to ask ourselves some major questions as we read about Lakshmi: What, exactly, is innocence? Is it possible to maintain innocence after sexual entry into adulthood, and in what ways? And can we ever regain innocence that we have lost? None of these questions are easy to answer, but all are important to understanding Lakshmi's psyche.
Questions About Innocence
- How might Lakshmi define innocence? Mumtaz? The author? Think about physical, emotional, and psychological elements to innocence.
- What contributes to Lakshmi's innocence in Nepal? In India? What makes you say this?
- Does Lakshmi ever lose her innocence completely? Does she regain it on some level? Why and how?
- Would you consider the other girls in Happiness House to be innocent? Why or why not, and in what ways?
Chew on This
Lakshmi never really loses her innocence despite her repeated rapes and suffering.
Mumtaz is more responsible for Lakshmi's lost innocence than the men who use her sexually.