„Look at this,‟ he said. „Would you like to hold it?‟ Stevens, 2008: 84 Tess is also being sexually abused by another punter, Peter. From the
quotation above we could see that Peter pulls down his trunks and hold his penis in his hand. Peter shows his intimate organ purposely towards Tess and then asks
her to hold it. From the description of the quotation above, we could get information that Tess is being exposed to sexual scene which is done by a male.
The second category of people whom sexually abused Tess is her step- father, Filth. It could be seen from the quotation below.
I jumped up, turning round to say, „Did you hear Mum call?‟ And that‟s when I saw it. His grubby, stained trousers were gaping open, and
something was poking out, an ugly, swollen thing like a big slug. I realized immediately what it must be.
I‟d seen my brothers, after all, and knew they had a willy between their legs. It never bothered me in the
slightest, it was just what boys had and girls didn‟t. Now for the first time I saw a man‟s willy, and it was disgusting. I ran out of the room across the
hall to the bedroom. I climbed on to the bed, shaking. I felt like crying. For some reason I couldn‟t explain, I felt dirty. Stevens, 2008: 55
Tess is being abused by her step-father, Filth. The quotation above, describes how Filth abused Tess. Filth took out his penis in front of Tess and it
makes her sick just by looking at it. It could be concluded that male dominantly become the actor in sexual abuse due to their power over woman.
According to the feminist perspective, the sexual abuses launched by men over women are the media for gaining control over women Dominelli in Corby,
2006: 175. Sexual abuse is also seen as an example of institutionalized male power over females Corby, 2006: 175. Women are considered as weak beings in
the perspective of men. Women are treated as an object for men to fulfill their lust and desire. Since women are treated as objects, men thought that they have the
right to enslave them. In the case of Tess in the autobiography of Sold, she is being sexually abused by the punter in his house.
As it happened, it wasn‟t as bad as I feared. I had to wear the school uniform again, and he told me I‟d been naughty and had to be punished.
Which meant he sat down, put me across his knee, pulled my skirt up and smack my bottom.
Stevens, 2008: 135 From the quotation above, it could be interpreted that the punter gain
control over Tess. Tess is sexually abused by the punter by ordering and forcing her to do what he desires. Since the punter desires being accompanied by a young
girl, he tells Tess to wear her school uniform in order to reach his sexual fantasy of doing sexual activity with a young girl. Then the punter tries to achieve his
highest sexual fantasy by punishing Tess. It is described that he punishes Tess by putting Tess across his knee, pulling her skirt, then smacking her bottom. In here,
Tess does not like the treatments she receives from the punter, but she has no choice since the man forces her. This shows that a woman is vulnerable and being
treated as an object for man‟s desire.
2. Poverty
The second cause of the abuses experienced by Tess is poverty. Child abuse and neglect in poor families happen due to the harsh living standards and
stresses in living in them. This poverty could lead to low standard parenting. The greater the level of stress a parent has, the greater its possibility for the parent to
abuse its children. Official reports and most surveys show that there is a strong link between poverty and abuse Corby, 2006: 131.
It took me a long time to realize that the way I thought about this was because I‟d grown up in a brothel. Nobody ever used that word – for
Mother it was always „the business‟, and Don would make jokes about a knocking shop. For working girls to have sex with men for money was just
a fact of life. Money was at the bottom of everything. Mother would
never have sent me out if she hadn‟t been desperate for cash. Stevens, 2008: 158
The need of money is the reason Tess has to be sent to the punters, where
she is sexually abused. By sending Tess to the punters, mother would receive money in return. It is described in the quotation above that money was at the
bottom of everything, it means that Tess‟ mother is desperate for the money in order to keep the family alive by fulfilling their daily needs. It is also written
above that mother would never had sent Tess to the punters if she had not been desperate for the money.
If I hadn‟t been getting money from the boys, we would have gone under. As it is, that money‟s drying up now – I can‟t keep up my invalid
act for ever. They‟re not stupid.‟ No, I thought, they‟re not stupid.
Mother cut to the chase. „It‟s bad enough forking out for all the usual
stuff,‟ she said. „You know Don‟s wages don‟t go anywhere. And now I‟ve got a debt to pay. It‟s been hanging over my head for ages, and now
I‟ve got to cough up, or else.‟ I couldn‟t think of anything to say. She went on. „You‟ve been such a help,
Tess, a real treasure. I know you‟ll understand. Can you do one last thing for me, as a special favour? One of our little secrets?‟ Stevens, 2008:
234
From the quotation above, it could be interpreted that the lack of money is a problem for Tess‟ mother. She tries to do anything in order to receive the
money. She usually got money from the punters whom regularly go to her house to book some girls. From each girls which a punter orders, Tess‟ mother receives
some percentage of money. Tess‟ mother also receives some money from Don‟s
wages although it is not enough for them in fulfilling the family‟s needs. The problem now is that mother has a debt to pay and all the money mother have is
not eno ugh to pay all of her debt and fulfill the family‟s needs. Due to this
condition, Tess‟ mother has to send Tess to accompany the punter again in order to receive money, although getting money means sacrificing Tess by letting her
being abused sexually. Ano
ther prove that Tess‟ family is in poverty could be seen from the quotation below.
This was more successful, but what with the fares and the hotel bills, couldn‟t be a long-term solution. Meanwhile, the eight of us – Mother,
Don, me and the kids as well as Sean
– were squashed into one spare room, the family lying top to toe in a double bed and Sean dossing on
the floor. It was bloody freezing, that January. We‟d brought some blankets with us, but not enough
. At one point we resorted to using another mattress on top of us for extra warmth. Stevens, 2008: 253
From the text above, it could be interpreted that Tess‟ family is in poor condition. They are having problem with the hotel bills and the fare. They can
only rent one small room for the eight of them. It is described that they are squashed into one spare room and the family lying top to toe in a double bed
while Sean sleeps on the floor. In addition, they cannot provide enough blankets for the eight of them. This shows that they live in poverty.
3. Abuser‟s Past Experience
The third cause of the abuses occur to Tess is abuser‟s previous experience. People or parents who had been abused in hisher childhood might
fulfill hisher anger which was forced to be absent during the childhood, by abusing hisher own children at their adulthood. According to Ryan in Corby,
