Theme Of Racism In Desiree's Baby

Even in our modern age, racism still exist. Although racism still exists today, we have come far from where we started. In the 1800s, it would have been blasphemy for a caucasian person to have an interracial child, as it is demonstrated in “Desiree’s Baby.” The story of “Desiree’s Baby” is about a woman with an unbeknown background marrying a well-known, respected man and procreating, only to have a child of color. Kate Chopin wrote the story as a form of criticism of gender inequality between men and women, and to point out the toxic racism that existed back then. She made Armand, Desiree’s husband, reject the baby due to his skin color, yet Armand himself is of African descend. In my interpretation of the story, Armand does know of his mother’s ethnicity, though he chooses to hide it. Chopin wrote “Desiree’s Baby” to condemned the pernicious racism and sexism that was prevalent in her era.

Through Desiree, Choplin implies that she does not condone the assault on slaves; “he hasn’t punished one of them… since the baby was born… Oh, mamma, I’m so happy; it frightens me” (Chopin 117). Desiree is said to be too gentle for the harsh Armand, who beats his slaves, thus being portrayed as malicious and representative of some of the Southern slave-owners’ barbaric treatment of African-American. Choplin also criticizes the gender inequality between men and women during that time period. Towards the end, she subtly denounces the biased social norm that made Desiree leave. In the story, she leaves just because her baby is of a different color and Armand disapproves. He is her everything, almost like an idol, thus, when he reviled against the baby, she accepted the guilt of having a child of African descend. Even if she had rebelled, the society that she lived in would have sided with Armand and berate Desiree and her