The story of Desiree’s baby was written by Kate Chopin. In Desiree’s baby, Kate Chopin offers a compelling critique of the class-based and racial prejudice. The story is about a young lady named Desiree who was abandoned with an uncertain future. Desiree was found by Madame Valmonde who adopted her as her own. Madame Valmonde and Mr. Valmonde was not bless with any children of their own they took Desiree and raise her as their own.
The story was written in 1892, which was the twenty-seven years after slavery was abolished but it took place during the time of slavery. Desiree was abandoned at a very young age, she was nameless, and she had no future ahead of her. But all that changed when Madame Valmonde and her husband discovered her in front
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At the age of eighteen Desiree met a man name Armand Aubigny who fell in love with her the first time he saw her and later married her. Armand was a slave master who was proud of his family name, to Armand his name was everything. Armand rule were strict, under it his slave had forgotten how to be happy. Armand must have made them very unhappy and treated them harshly. Armand home is described as sad looking and really quite. Armand is portrayed as the man who had it all throughout this story, he was a men with a lot of pride. Armand thought because he came from a family whose name was well-known in Louisiana, he used his family as another way to get power, respect, to make him feel like a king besides being a slave owner. He thought that’s the only way he can protect his family name. Armand marry Desiree without knowing any of her backgrounds. They later had a baby boy, Armand was excited about starting a family with the woman he love. Armand was happy he even started treating his slaves different when Desiree had the …show more content…
She was excited about the future of her baby and her husband. Desiree love the fact that she was able to give Armand a baby especially a baby boy. Everything was going smooth for Desiree and her husband for a period of time. But then the unexpected happened after three months the baby skin color starts to look darker. Armand went from being a happy beloved husband to an evil men, neither him nor Desiree could understand what was happening. Armand was furious he felt like he no longer loved Desiree because of the unconscious injury she had bought upon his home and his family name. By “unconscious injury” Armand refers to is the lost memory he feels like his wife has lost of her ethnicity. Armand did not want anything to destroy what he was well known for “a slave owner”. Desiree ask Armand if he wanted her and the baby to leave the house, Armand response was “yes leave”. When Desiree heard those words her whole world was shattered because the only person she ever loved was Armand, and Armand no longer loved her. Kate Chopin describe how race played a major part in people lives in the mid-1800s. racism play a major role in this story because when it was found out that the baby was mixed everything changes such as Desiree happiness and Armand mood. Armand was happy and nice to the slaves when Desiree had the baby then he saw his child growing mixed that changes his whole
Armand feels like he is the victim of betrayal by his wife Désirée. As the baby gets older it is clear that the baby is not white. Armand’s attitude quickly makes him assume that Désirée is not white giving Armand a feeling of deception. He denounces his love for Désirée and the child and casts them out of the house and his life. Désirée is stricken with grief about her treatment by Armand. She cannot believe how a man who loves her so much could treat her with such hostility and cruelty. Désirée develops a negative attitude towards herself and her baby. She is upset that she cannot change how Armand thinks of her because of her baby. This attitude causes Désirée to walk out of Armand’s life forever to her demise. Core beliefs also give to human behavior in “Samuel” and “Desiree’s
The short story “Desiree’s Baby” written by Kate Chopin, tells of love, betrayal, and loss. The story begins by pulling in the imagination by the introduction of Desiree, who was found by Monsieur Valmonde as she slept in the shadow of the stone pillar. Desiree’s unknown origin would later come into the story only to give the reader a sense of false knowledge of Desiree’s origin when Armand Aubigny, the rich plantation owner of L’abri, falls madly in love with Desiree the moment his eyes set upon her, as she stood in the shadow of the same stone pillar. They marry and have a baby boy. When the baby reaches 4 months old his skin begins to show the appearance of a quadroon. The skin color of the child sets forth the end of Armand’s love for
The passage Desiree’s Baby is a story about two people falling in love. Even with love they can not change the unexpected outcome of the truth about their past and heritage. Their is a deeper theme throughout the passage. It is about the young man name Armand denying, and not accepting himself for being black. This leads Armand down a dark path, and self hatred that he can not escape.
When Désirée had the baby, her mother noticed immediately that something was wrong with the baby; Madame Valmonde screamed “This is not the baby!” It wasn’t until when the baby was 3 months old that Désirée noticed the appearance of the baby and demanded an answer from Armand. Armand noticed this early already, so he told Désirée that she was at fault for the baby being black, “It means,” he answered lightly, “that the child is not white; it means that you are not white” (424). Désirée believed this because no one knew of her past. This distinctly shows how Désirée’s character lives to learn how close racism and male dominance can get in Southern life. For instance, when Armand says, “The child is not white; it means that you are not white” (424). This is when Armand realizes his wife is not the same as he is, and from this moment on, wants nothing to do with either her or their child. In the beginning of the story, Armand was deeply in love with Désirée, and still was, until the moment he realized their baby was not white. This is a glimpse of how life was in the South. Chopin offers a compelling vision of the class-based and racial prejudice of the South. As many critics would agree, Chopin’s stories have “the freshness which springs from an unexplored field—the quaint and picturesque life among the Creole and Acadian folk of the
Women were supposed to bring their husbands and children to the light of God. Desiree’s husband Armand was humiliated and ashamed when he realized his son was mixed with a race that was “cursed with the brand of slavery”. His way of getting “back at God for dealing cruelly with him” was through hurting his wife, showing that
Imagine finding out that your entire life was a lie, and that every single thing you knew about your identity and your family was completely false! Armand Aubigny, one of the main characters in Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin, experiences this exact dilemma throughout this short story. Desiree’s Baby is a story about a young man and woman, who fall in love, but Desiree, who does not know her birth parents, is considered nameless. When she and Armand have a child, they are both very surprised because the child’s skin color is not white as expected. It is obvious that the child is biracial, and immediately, Desiree is blamed for the color of the child’s skin because of her uncertain background. The truth, however, is that it is Armand who has lived his entire life as a biracial person without even knowing his true heritage! This problem frames the rest of the events in the story, and the ultimate demise of both of these characters.
...t not judge the people by looking at their races, like the old says" don't judge a book by its cover. In the reading, the pride of Armand was greater than the love for his wife and their baby, which destroyed Desiree and their baby's life and led to a sad ending.
Desiree is a lady who completely relied on her husband for any type of support. Desiree became powerless when Armand rejected her and the child when he noticed the infant’s change in skin color. Without having Armand in Desiree's life, she had low self-esteem and did not have the will to live anymore. For the most part there was a large amount of racism in the story as well as the feeling that ladies too are not equivalent to men.
In the story of “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin, there are many literary themes that can be analyzed such as love, racism, gender inequality, and miscegenation. What this analysis will focus on is primarily on the central male character, Armand Aubigny, and on his views towards racism. More specifically, what this essay will aim to prove is that Armand Aubigny looked down upon the African race to the point where he hated them. One of the biggest driving points to aid this idea is how his family name shaped his behavior and actions according to the societal normalities of his time period. Another important aspect that will be considered is his very relationship towards his slaves in how he treated them cruelly even to the point where he is described as “having the spirit of Satan” (Chopin 3). In addition to this, the reader will also see Armand’s negative reaction to being aware of the implications of his son and wife having mixed blood in where he practically disowns them. With all this culminating to Armand finding out the ugly truth that the race he had treated so horribly is actually a part of his very own blood as well.
It was already made clear multiple times throughout the story how Desiree felt about all the changes that were occurring. She was miserable and saw no point in living. After knowing that, it is easy to infer that she chose to drown herself and her child, rather than going home to her mother. A few weeks after leaving, Armand holds a large bonfire in his yard burning all the belongings of Desiree’s and the baby’s. Everything from clothing, to the crib the baby slept in, to the early letters that were exchanged between the two of them before marriage. Among those letters, was one from his mother to his father. The letter explains why she left, stating she was happy to be away because it meant that Armand would grow up not knowing that his mother was actually black. The fact that Armand had this letter in his possession means that he knew for some time the truth of his heritage. However, to keep from harming his name, he led Desiree to believe that she was the black parent, which led to her untimely demise.
Kate Chopin's use of irony in the story is particularly effective. She points out the various aspects that prejudice is unfair to the characters in her story. If Desiree had been the one of mixed race then she could have been considered by as the innocent heroine. Consequently, because Armand is the source of the suspect blood, Desiree becomes totally the victim.
In “Desiree’s Baby,” Kate Chopin writes about the life of a young lady and her new family. In this short story, the fond couple lived in Louisiana before the American Civil War. Chopin illustrates the romantic atmosphere between Armand and Desiree. Chopin also describes the emotion of the parents for their new born. When the baby was born, Armand’s heart had softened on behalf of others. One afternoon, Desiree and the baby were relaxing in a room with a young boy fanning them with peacock feathers. As they were relaxing, Desiree had sniffed a threatening scent. Desiree desired Armand’s assistance as she felt faint from the odor that she could not comprehend. Armand had denied the request his wife sent. Therefore, he cried out that she nor the baby were white. Thus, Desiree took the baby and herself and walked into the bayou and they were never seen again. In this short story, Chopin illustrates the psychological abuse Desiree faces from her husband.
Armand becomes furious because he believes that Desiree?s race is what alters the color of the baby. After that incident, Armand displ...
In her story, Desiree’s Baby, Kate Chopin underlined the contrast between lust and love, exploring the problem of a man’s pride that exceeded the love he has for his wife. Armand, the main character of the story, is a slave owner who lived in Louisiana during the era of slavery. He married an adopted young woman, Desiree, and together they have a son who eventually became an obstacle in the way of his father’s happiness, thus removing out the true character of Armand. Desiree’s Baby, by Kate Chopin is a love story, love that ultimately proved to be a superficial love, a story that shed light on the ugly relationships between people. “Lust is temporary, romance can be nice,
... be part of that race. He did not want his well looked upon family name to be ruined. He was portrayed as a man who had it all. He had a reputation to keep maintained and Armand being part black would have ruined it. He owned a plantation and was a slave master. Racism did play a major role because when Armand found out that the baby was mixed everything changed such as Armand’s mood and Desiree’s happiness. She seemed to be very jolly and happy. Armand was also content. He was pleasant to the slaves. After he saw his child growing to be mixed it changed his whole attitude. He did not love the child genuinely because love is unconditional. He was more concerned about the race of the child. This was a great short story to read and it gave me insight on the importance and seriousness of our society back then. I am glad we have overcome these terrible racial matters.