In the short story, “Desiree’s Baby”, written by Kate Chopin. Chopin’s story is about a girl named Desiree. She gets adopted by a wealthy family after they find her abandoned. The family of Valmonde give her everything she needs, and even help her get married to a wealthy man with the noble roots. The only issue is that once she gives birth to her first child everyone notice that the newborn has a darker tone of skin thsn the rest of the family. Chopin evaluates blindness the character Desiree later reveals the truth about Armand. For example, in the story the narrator says, “Desiree was miserable enough to die.” This illustrates that Desiree describes the change in Armand, and even though she asserts that he has been “Softened”, her description
When I think about starting over, I am often reminded of Armand in the story of “Desiree Baby”. Armand, the protagonist in the story built a bonfire in the efforts of trying to erase away the memory of his wife Desiree, and his son. Armand’s bonfire symbolizes Armand wanting to start over and forget his past. Throughout the short story many elements of symbolism was used to convey a central message those include discussing symbols of racism, social class distinction, and the symbolic elements involving the difference between the gender roles.
Yet it is not until Armand believes that Desiree is black that he fully dominates her simply by thinking that he is superior. At this point, “when he spoke to her, it was with averted eyes, from which the old love-light seemed to have gone out” (317). Armand feels that he is too superior to Desiree to devote his full attention to her. Since he no longer expresses his love for Desiree, she feels further pushed into a slave-like position in the relationship, and, “was miserable enough to die” (318).
In the short story, “Desiree’s Baby,” Kate Chopin exposes the harsh realities of racial divide, male dominance, and slavery in Antebellum Louisiana. Although written in 1894, Chopin revisits the deep-south during a period of white privilege and slavery. Told through third-person narration, the reader is introduced to characters whose individual morals and values become the key elements leading to the ironic downfall of this antebellum romance. As Chopin takes the reader through the unfortunate circumstances and unexpected twists of Desiree’s life, a Southern Gothic tale emerges. While Armonde is Chopin’s obvious villain, one should not assume that the other characters are not antagonists themselves, as
"Desiree's Baby" is Kate Chopin's most well-known short story and most anthologized piece of work. The story takes place in southern Louisiana and her writing reflects her Creole-French descent. Chopin begins the story with a descriptive quote, "when she reached L'Abri she shuddered at the first sight of it, as she always did. It was a sad looking place...Big solemn oaks grew close to it and their thick leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall" (185). The preceding quote gives the reader an eerie feeling and foreshadows an unpleasant ending to the story. Throughout "Desiree's Baby," Kate Chopin uses symbolism to convey her themes of racial prejudice, unequal gender roles, and
Furthermore in to the literary element, Chopin used symbolism to develop more on Desiree’s characteristic. The author was describing the way she dressed “Desiree had not changed the thin white garment nor the slippers which she wore. Her hair was uncovered and the sun’s rays brought a golden gleam from its brown meshes.” (Chopin, 52) The way that Chopin is describing Desiree, it is like she is describing an angel, so pure and innocent. Everything Desiree wore was white, she was wearing a thin white dress that people usually go to sleep in. Angel always wear white. Another point was that it was sunset, which symbolized that things is about to end, this is just like her life. Earlier though, Chopin was mentioned about a stone pillar at the beginning of the story “when Monsieur in riding through the gateway of Valmonde had found her lying asleep in the shadow of the big stone pillar.” (Chopin, 48) The stone pillar represent a big marker on Desiree’s timeline. Armand drove by her and see her sleep and fell in love and got married was afterward. Before that time period, we don’t know who Desiree really is, we don’t know her dad or what race until at the end of the story, we don’t know where she’s from or what is her origin. Chopin used this stone pillar as the starting point and then keep developing Desiree’s characteristic later on. The author used symbolism to develop Desiree’s characteristic.
He shows his passionate love for Desiree when he states It was no wonder, when she stood one day against the stone pillar I whose shadow she has lain asleep, eighteen years before, that Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her.” (Madden 947 ) According to the narrator all of the Aubigny’s fell victim to the love at first sight theory! Chopin brilliantly explains the ways of the Aubigny men by writing “ that was the way the Aubigny’s fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot” (Madden 947) The reader also sees Armand’s passion when he is warned by about Desiree’s unknown identity, be he does not care. The narrator continues to say , “The passion that awoke in him that day, when he saw her at the gate, swept along like an avalanche, or like a
“Tell me what it means!” she cried despairingly.” It means,” he answered lightly, “that the child is not white; it means that you are not white” (Chopin, p. 192). Kate Chopin's "Desiree's Baby" is a well-known short story. “In her life, Kate Chopin
Throughout time, humans struggled with issues of conformity and individuality. In the modern world, individuality is idealized, as it is associated with strength. Weak individuals are usually portrayed as conforming to society and having almost no personal ideas. In “Desiree’s Baby”, a short story, the author Kate Chopin deals with the struggles of African descendants in the French colonies during the time of slave labor. The protagonist is a white woman named Desiree who is of unknown origin and birth as she was found abandoned as an infant at an aristocrat’s doorstep. Eighteen years after her discovery, she and a fellow aristocrat, Armand Aubigny, fall in love and get married. They soon have a child, yet conflict arises when the child
The story by Kate Chopin called Desiree’s Baby (1894) focuses on the slavery days of America. It takes place during Antebellum in Creole Louisiana. Kate Chopin’s purpose in this story is to show how too much emphasis on skin and racial heritage could destroy a loving family. Lying is never an okay thing to do, especially during the days when race could make or break you. Armand’s parents did wrong by lying to Armand, making him believe he was white. This caused the self-destruction of his family, owning with harsh treatment of slaves and lived a life as someone he never was to begin with.
This essay will focus on the short story by Kate Chopin and its use of symbols, setting and characters. Desiree’s baby was perhaps one of the best stories I’ve ever read. Analyzing it was not easy at all. Its use of symbols was very hard to comprehend. At first, it doesn’t make sense. But as you think critically, all the symbols, and setting and the characters in this literature plunge together in one amazing story.
The debate regarding whether or not immigrants should be forced to learn and speak English started as far back as 1754 (King, 1997, para.4) and continues to be debated currently. This issue is viewed differently by legal immigrants, illegal immigrants and American citizens.
"Desiree's Baby", by Kate Chopin, is a story about the effect love and pride have on our actions. Love changes people for the better. "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Pride, however, can have the opposite effect. Pride is spurred on by a dislike of falling below your standards. Pride doesn't leave much room for mercy and kindness and it makes people think of "self" first
In the short story Désirée’s Baby, by Kate Chopin, surprise plays a very important role. Although the story has a surprise ending it can still have a second look with interest. While rereading the story I look for the details, which foreshadow the ending, that were missed the first time reading the story. But when I started to look for hints of foreshadowing I found that Chopin is doing more than tell us a story about a couple. She is trying to convey a message to the reader. Désirée’s Baby is like an intricate Aesop’s fable, or a fable for adults. Also an analysis of the characters helps us understand the story and it’s meaning. The main character, which presents the conflict in the story, is Armand Aubigny. To fully understand the story
In Kate Chopin’s short story, “Desiree’s Baby”, she demonstrates how racism played a major part in people’s lives in the 1800’s. Kate Chopin is extremely successful in getting her readers to feel disturbed by the events in the story. Through words and images, the reader feels touched by the story, either by relating to it at some points or when confronted with things we frequently decide to ignore in the world: the evil some human beings are capable of possessing.
Armand is an interesting, and complex character. The principal characters in this story are Armand, Desiree, and their baby. Armand interacts violently and viciously; so violent it is stated "His negroes had forgotten to be gay" (Chopin). Armand's actions, words, and thoughts reveal a deeply violent and passionate man. Armand changes throughout the story. He starts as a strict and angry man, "Young Aubigny's rule was a strict one, too" (Chopin), but as he falls in love his heart grows soft, "He hasn't punished one of them - not one of them – since baby is born" (Chopin). Three months later he notices his child's dark complexion, afterward he becomes more angry and malicious than ever before, "The very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take