Desiree's Baby Race Essay

Chopin was a southern feminist writer who often related her stories back to the issue of discrimination across genders. She uses symbolism to analyze the gender roles of inequality between men and women in society. In the very beginning Desiree was left on a stone pillar at the Valmonde estate; it is here that Armand Aubigny sees her and falls instantly in love with her. The stone pillar is a phallic symbol of firm, forced male dominance in a patriarchal society. Throughout the story Desiree is submissive to her husband and obeys everything he says even when Aubigny sends her and the child away. Desiree left wearing a thin white garment and slippers and as she walked the sun beamed down giving off a radiant, golden gleam from her long, brown hair. Chopin uses Desiree's white clothing to symbolize the feminine element being introduced into society and the sun's shining rays seem to represent the shifting of power roles among genders. Chopin demonstrates the rising power of women in society and the establishment of equality among genders.

Without racial comparisons, the story would only be a tragedy, reading as a criticism of hasty racial categorization because of the suffering it brings, but with them it is a depiction of a flawed system that has rewarded a black man. Chopin first contrasts Armand’s tendency to take on “the very spirit of Satan” in dealing with slaves with the more relaxed relationship they had with his father (441). Looking upon L’Abri, Madame Valmonde is troubled to realize that under Young Aubigny’s rule “his negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as they had been during the old master’s easy-going and indulgent lifetime” (440). Additionally, Madame Valmonde’s sadness upon seeing the estate may indicate that Monsieur Valmonde, a white man like Armand’s father, lacks young Aubigny’s cruelty. Armand’s lack of compassion is seen again upon realizing his son’s black heritage. Feeling that “Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him” by giving him a quadroon child, Armand asks Desiree and the child to leave L’Abri (442). In contrast, Monsieur Valmonde’s treatment of Desiree as “the idol of Valmonde” depicts his compassion toward a child who may potentially be black (440). Chopin’s racist undertones are realized as the dark-skinned Armand, characterized by volatility and callousness, is meant to be looked upon much less favorably than the story’s compassionate white slave owners.

     In the next segment of the account, Chopin breaks the enchantment and the readers’ hearts when she turns a fairy tale into a horror show. Armand’s behavior towards Desiree changes drastically, as for “when he spoke to her, it was with averted eyes, from which the old love-light seemed to have gone out.” “He absented himself from home; and when there, avoided her presence and that of her child, without excuse” (32). Armand’s attitude did not only change towards his wife, but also towards the slaves as if “the spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him” (32). Desiree then finds out the reason for her husband’s change of conduct is the fact that their child is not white. The considerable change of mood in the story intensifies the already shocking events. As people are always looking for the “soul mate” and the “happy ever after” ending, it’s both disappointing and disturbing to see a beautiful dream turn into a nightmare.

In “Desiree’s Baby,” Kate Chopin centers on race and miscegenation in the Creoles of Louisiana during the days when slavery was legal. Chopin brings together two characters, Armand and Desiree who are completely different. Armand is a cruel slave owner who comes from “one of the oldest and proudest families in Louisiana,” and Desiree is adopted and doesn’t know her biological ancestry. The two marry and have a son whose skin turns dark after three months. Chopin shows how human beings are valued through skin color, and she shows that interracial marriages and interbreeding are not acceptable. In the story, Chopin uses three main characters, Armand, Desiree and the baby to show that love and

Kate Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby” is about racism. Desiree, the main character who does not know her own identity at the beginning, is given a French name that means to be desired. Not only she is desired by her adoptive parents: Madame and Monsieur Valmonde, but also desired by her slave-owning husband Armand Aubigny. Investigating the symbolic spaces and objects associated with Desiree and Armand leads to a comparison of lightness and darkness in the story. The theme of the short story is that racism is one of the fundamental causes of destruction in society, is explored by comparison of lightness and darkness in the story.

By following the life of Desiree, a new mother living on a plantation with her husband Armand, in Desiree’s Baby, the reader sees the changes in Armands personality towards the African-American race. When Armand soon discovers Desiree’s baby is a mulatto, he kicks Desiree and their child off the plantation making the assumption that she is of African-American descent. Soon after her leaving, Armand discovers that it was not Desiree of African-American descent, but Armand himself, showing the irony of his ill will towards blacks. Upon reading Desiree’s Baby, it can be concluded that Kate Chopin is showing readers how prejudices can change the personalities of people and of society as a whole.

In a short but gripping story, Kate Chopin masterfully articulates the harsh reality of love, assumption, and power of Pre-Civil War Louisiana in “Désirée’s Baby”. When beautiful baby girl was found abandoned, it seemed like fate’s calling for a couple to take her in as their own. Years later, she gained affection from more than just her adopted parents when Armand Aubigny, a well off young man, fell in love with her. He ignored her mysterious origins and eventually called her his bride. Soon after, Désirée became a mother to her own child, and Armand’s personality softened because of this. Life seemed to peak for the young couple, and everything was going right. As the child grew, Désirée compared him to a slave-child for the first

Chopin’s short story takes place around mid-nineteenth century America, in a society where most men base the worth of people on their race and gender. The story is centered on a Louisiana plantation, and the two main characters are Desiree and her husband, Armand. The story is written specifically before the civil war; Chopin uses this historical time period to develop both the story’s central conflicts and themes. Chopin exploits the conflict of Desiree and Armand’s newborn son to convey the theme of an oppressive society’s view on gender and race.

Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” is the story of an abandoned child by the name of Desiree; adopted and brought up by Madame Valmont in the countryside of Louisiana. She later grows up, conceives a child, and marries her childhood sweetheart Armand, with the intention of giving her the perfect family she failed to receive. The two are profoundly in love, and continue to flourish in happiness until one day something changes. With suspicion and curiosity towards the race of the baby and Desiree, Armand suddenly becomes distant from the two; portraying an unpleasant attitude towards her and his slaves. Unwanted, Desiree disappears with the child, and is never seen again. One day while burning old memories of his former spouse, Armand will be conflicted with a shocking discovery that leaves the reader in awe. This amazing story reveals how the power of judgement, and uncertainty can ironically come back to haunt you in the end.

Chopin’s story in general is ironic when considering the numerous elements the writer uses with the purpose of confusing her readers. Many readers are likely to feel uncertain with regard to the moral of the story as a consequence of being unable to determine what Desiree’s racial ancestry actually is. However, this is exactly what Chopin wants – she intended to highlight the insignificant nature of racial background by presenting the central character as being someone readers know very little about and as falling victim to a system that is built upon people’s

Kate Chopin shows that prejudice is powerful enough to destroy something that was once strong. Desiree’s Baby is a short story based on a time Pre-Civil War in Louisiana, where slaves were prominent. Choplin uses Armand to show how tragic the inability to loose prejudice is, by confronting it with love. When Armand originally met Desiree he did not care for her past because he loved her uncontrollably, but when their newborn baby started to show signs of being a colored baby, he immediately rejected them as a family. Kate Chopin sends a message that prejudice is powerful to destroy something that once was as powerful as love.

Racism has been a problem in the United States ever since man could see the difference in skin color. Racism is one of the most devastating factors in our society, because it is not an action we are born with, yet an action we are taught. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary racism is defined as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race". In Kate Chopin Desiree 's Baby the baby has a father that shows an issue of prejudice, and racism; with a mother who beings to feel unhappy, unworthy, and unsure of herself from her husband, because of the color of her skin and her baby 's as well. Chopin also explores the relationship between people with no families and those of biracial descents.

In the short story written by Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” takes place after the civil war in Louisiana. The story starts off with a character named Madame Valmonde who is driving over to L’Abri to see Desiree, who is her adopted daughter who had just gave birth to a baby boy. Desiree is married to a man named Armand who is racist to African Americans and owns his own plantation. Armand is happy that he has a baby boy, he changes his perspective about life with everything changing and going well, he doesn’t realize his son is African American. The story features Love, Mystery, Racism and Prejudice in which it involves Armand and Desiree. Desiree believed her life will be joyful and filled with happiness once her baby is born and that Armand will love his family truly. Armand is filled with enthusiasm once this wonderful thing happened in his life. He became blinded by love in which he did not let his racist perspectives overpower his feelings for his family. Kate story shows the reader that one of the main characters is lost in a life filled with hatred and love.

Societal stigma and Family shape the enigma that is identity. Desiree herself was borne by a family with no prior knowledge of her ancestry, she existed outside of the stigma she would later face. Chopin, describing Armand’s love for Desiree, writes “The passion… swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire…” (Chopin). His immediate love for her, though described to be strong, is written with a negative connotation. Chopin uses simile and this negative connotation to immediately put a bad taste in our mouths about the love. Chopin, describing Valmonde’s perspective entering Desiree’s house, writes “When she reached L’abri she shuttered at the

Racial discrimination was a major problem in the late nineteenth century. In Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”, there were characters with extreme views towards race which led to a gruesome death. The major conflicts in “Desiree’s Baby” are from Armand assuming what he thought about Desiree was right, and not taking another answer that could be a possibility. Armand was the antagonist of the story and struggles against the beliefs that the country has about race. Desiree, the protagonist was in conflict with Armand over who caused the imperfection in the family. The inferences that Armand made led to some monstrous consequences. “In essence, Armand demonstrates a semantic error called allness”, which happens when a person just assumes that they are right with no other outcome. With the problems about racial discrimination in those times, Armand did not want to risk anything that would affect the outcome of his life. He would not want anyone to see this letter that he found from his mother to his father saying, “night and day, I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery”, because it would essentially destroy his plantation and it would spoil his name forever. Armand was a selfish man who could not accept the facts foreshadowing his family’s African-American ancestry. Blacks passing as white would sooner or later be recognized for who