Art & Identity in New Orleans

Natasha Trethewey uses the figure of Ophelia to create a story that reflects on the dynamics of power and agency for prostitutes in the early 1900s. The opening poem in the sequence begins with the viewer reading a description of both versions of Ophelia; in a way, this transcribes the voyeuristic behavior of the artist onto the reader. However, the end of the poem breaks the spell simply of viewing and allows for conversation between the book and the reader, as Ophelia ‘s “lips poised to open, to speak” (pg 3). This a perfect transition into the rest of the sequence, as it builds the expectation of the reader that Ophelia will be transformed from a dead muse and into a living women with her own thoughts and, ultimately, her own story. Her journey to realizing her own autonomy begins slowly, as the first section of poems deals with how she was raised and the nature of Ophelia trying to find her way through a sexist and racist world. As the book continues, the reader gets to watch Ophelia grow into her own agency and begin to speak in a world that has so often cut her out of it.