Advice for a New Girl
Trethewey informs and describes what new women entering into the a brothel of Storyville would come to face on their first job. Ophelia's first day as all the girls, are required and expected to be extremely cooperative and willing with their customers. In doing so the woman should not question any motives from their customers, otherwise they themselves will loose clients from making them aggressive or angry. There is this discern that the women within the brothels are expected to meet their customer's needs without a doubt because it is emphasized so mcuh. Ultimately the woman are working within the brothel as a business for which they must have a profit.
I agree that the women in the brothel are expected to be docile and open to the customers that come in. This effectively takes away a lot of the women's agency. The girls in the brothel have to become, Tableau vivant, and let go of their personalities to be as malleable as possible for the customers.
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