What does walker mean when she describes herself as a "blank canvas"

What does the word subordinate mean in this sentence? the office manager spoke to her subordinate in a cordial tone.

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The great depression, which lasted throughout the 1930s in the united states, affected many people, and it had a devastating impact on an entire subset of the u.s. population. modernist writer john steinbeck wrote about the toll the depression took on these families, many of whom were forced to leave their farms and find other sources of income.