The Portrayal of the Relationship Between the Sexes in the Short Stories of Chopin and Hardy
In Desiree’s Baby, Desiree is a young woman who had just has a baby
with her husband Armand. I realized that Desiree was a young mother as
‘it seemed but yesterday that Desiree was little more than baby
herself.' Desiree must be a fair young looking mother as Chopin
describes Desiree 'to be a beautiful and gentle, affectionate and
sincere'. When Armand, a rich wealthy slave owner falls in love with
Desiree, Chopin uses a simile to show how violent and powerful his
love is for Desiree 'as if struck by a pistol shot'. His love is
violent and powerful because it is being compared with a gun. Nobody
in reality is struck by a pistol shot by love, which reflects the
passion of love that he has for Desiree. His love for Desiree does not
stop there as it is built up by the use of the word 'prairie fire',
which highlights how destructive his love is for her. We find out that
Armand does not know the meaning of true love as he 'looked into her
eyes and did not care', which tell us that he is blinded with love and
is unable to see who Desiree is as 'he was reminded that she was
nameless'. After having a son, which Armand desired for, Madame
Valmonde, Desiree's adopted mother, realises that there is something
worrying about the baby as she says ‘this is not the baby!' At this
point Chopin builds up tension, as it is worrying to think about what
the baby has turned out to be like. We find the amount of love Desiree
has for Armand because even 'when he frowned she trembled, but loved
him', telling us that even though she was scared of him, she still
loved h...
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...owards upper class society. Hardy at this
interval indicates that Sam works in South London as a market gardener
manger and is planning to set up a new business and a house from the
countryside. He wants to certify his plan, but desires Sophy to join
him. Here is a dialogue from Sam: "´…I'm not sure if - you'd join me.
I know you wouldn't - couldn't! Such a lady as we've been so long, you
couldn't be a wife to a man like me.`" Hardy in Sam's speech
illustrates that Sam is not good enough for Sophy due to her being
upper class. Even though Sophy once had refused to his marriage
proposal he still does not think that is her final answer. Because
her relationship with Randolph was as bad as it was, she doesn’t feel
she can trust having a relationship it another man. She didn’t want to
refuse Sam’s proposal. She still did.