Man’s Domination Over Woman in Desiree’s Baby
Differences between people create conflicts between people. This is especially true between men and women, since throughout history society has viewed women as subservient to men. Kate Chopin’s feminist short story, Desiree’s Baby, illustrates man’s domination over woman. Since Desiree meekly accepts being ruled by Armand, and Armand regards Desiree as his possession, the master/slave relationship that exists between Armand and Desiree is undeniable.
Armand believes that since he possesses a superior social position than does Desiree, he is at liberty to be master over her. As a plantation owner and a descendant of the Aubigny family which bears "one of the oldest and proudest [names] in Louisiana" (316), Armand owns tens and hundreds of slaves. In contrast Desiree is adopted into a family without a respected name. Since, "Young Aubigny's rule was a strict one”, he not only treats the slaves as if they were animals, but also treats Desiree as but a beautiful possession. Although Desiree truly loves Armand, the relationship is not reciprocal, which is evident by the fact that Armand has affairs with other women. Desiree’s love for Armand elevates him in the relationship, while Armand’s domination over Desiree only makes her more submissive.
Armand’s ego exhibits his qualities as a master. His respected name, large plantation, and position as a master over slaves inflate his pride. The fact that, “Armand is the proudest father in the parish… because it is a boy, to bear his name” (317), illustrates that Armand does not truly love his family; instead he sees them as possessions – extensions of his property. To Armand the baby serves the purpose of honoring him by ...
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...e denies both her and the child, she loses personhood and therefore commits suicide and infanticide. The word, desperately, that describes her love for Armand illustrates how truly attached she is to him. When Armand accuses Desiree of being black and disowns her because he believes this, Desiree completely loses her identity. Without Armand she thinks, “I shall die. I must die. I cannot be so unhappy, and live.” (319).
It is not only Armand’s dominance, but also Desiree’s meek subservience that kills Desiree and the baby, while ruining Armand’s life. In Armand and Desiree’s already teetering master/slave relationship, a trivial conflict over race is the final blow that splits them up. Yet it was the difference between the perceptions of themselves and each other, set in place by a male dominated society, that doomed their relationship even from the beginning.
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In a world that has seen men as governmental leaders and women as sex symbols, all humans can easily perceive that stereotypical behavior is one of the world’s greatest prejudices. In the story The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, a few of the characters destroy the realm of the “stereotypical world”. Characters such as Léonce, Madame Reisz, and Robert break the mold and give the reader something to think about as chapters pass by. Mrs. Chopin’s knack for switching characters’ stereotypical behaviors becomes indisputably clear throughout The Awakening, as the reader finds it is not only the main character who is different, but the characters around her as well. It should be known that difference is not good nor
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.
...ne major proponent that affected Aubigny’s outlook upon the African race was how his family name played in relation to the Southern culture. Another part that was analyzed was how Armand actually treated his slaves from making them forget how to be happy to him severely punishing them at the expense of his biracial child. Also in the context that his child was part African served as a catalyst for his change of heart from love to hate towards his wife which then terminated to his banishment of his wife and son. In the end of it all, the reader has seen the adverse and destructive effects that racism can have upon a select group of people and on society. From what Armand despised the most, was actually a part of him that he could never get rid of.
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Marijuana is used to relieve anger, fear, or pain a personal may feel. They believe it’s essential to their lifestyle and that they have a passion for it. The people within this subculture use marijuana because they love the effect that THC gives them. These marijuana users also praise marijuana because their role models such as Bob Marley, used it. They also use it because it is common to use in their environment, or they were raised in an environment that did not view it as taboo. Marijuana users claim that the consumption of marijuana makes music sound better, as well as movies and television shows, because it sounds clearer as well as funnier. When smoking in public this allows marijuana users to get to know and understand other marijuana users better and it facilitates a more intimate exchange. Marijuana users feel it creates a special bond with another person when they smoke together and it causes social interaction because it brings all types of people together and unifies them, which is the main point in a subculture. “Munchies” or when a marijuana user feels hungry and eats a bunch of snacks, is the most common and universal result of
Madness is used as a theme in literature to explore the depths of the human mind. People experience and react to madness in various ways. In literary works such as The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams madness is characterized by detachment from reality and delusions. The madness that the Narrator and Blanche experience is caused by their attempts to ease their loneliness. In The Yellow Wallpaper the narrator, who is subjected to the rest cure and isolated from the world, immerses herself in the world she creates within the wallpaper to ease her loneliness and in A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche Dubois deludes herself and those around her into believing that she is a proper lady
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.
Although Armand truly loved Desiree, his love wasn’t stronger than protecting his family’s status. He knew from the beginning that it was he who was not white. Hoping that his child would not come out black, he still took precautions by marrying a woman with an unknown origin to put the blame on. He hated himself for what he truly was and he was not going to let anyone know his secret and have that kind of power over him. It was never Desiree’s fault and she ended up suffering when it was really Armand’s doing.
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Throughout the years many variations of the ideas on race, class, and culture have been presented based upon different factors. In earlier times people’s views were not nearly the same as they are presented today. Ideas that women belong in the kitchen or that African-American’s were an inferior race were common. Those views were very popular during the time of Kate Chopin’s book “Desiree’s Baby.” Chopin’s book explores the controversial areas of race and class as well as touching on the subject of culture. “Desiree’s Baby” shows the life of Desiree from a young child through adulthood. The young Desiree was found by a rich family alone on the streets. Even in a time where race and social class was important the wealthy, a rich couple took in young Desiree without knowing her ancestral background. Desiree lived a good life with the family. The story then switches to when Desiree was a young adult and falls in love with Armand Aubigny. Armand also comes from a wealthy background and still falls for Desiree without knowing her racial background. Eventually, the young couple has a baby but to their surprise the baby comes out with African traits. Armand is not happy and rethinks whether she has African in her background or if maybe she had an affair with a slave. Desiree’s mother offers to have her and the baby come back and stay with them but when Desiree leaves she disappears and is never seen again. Later, Armand finds out that it may not have been Desiree that carries African roots but himself, from his mother’s side. Overall, Chopin’s work looks into the controversial issues of race, class, gender and culture using ironies and the story-line to infer the views of these topics.
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Armand becomes furious because he believes that Desiree?s race is what alters the color of the baby. After that incident, Armand displ...
PURPOSE: To persuade my audience that we must take action now to control air pollution
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