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The short story, Desiree s Baby, by Kate Chopin is about a woman who is abandoned as a baby and adopted and raised by a loving family. After she and her husband have a baby, and the baby has a dark complexion, her husband Armand accuses her of being of black descent and orders her to leave. The story ends with Desiree disappearing into the bayou with her baby. Ironically, Armand discovers a letter which was stuffed in the back of a drawer written by his mother, I thank God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery, (333) which explains that it is he who is of mixed race. The story takes place in a Creole community ruled by institutions based on clear-cut duality s: master over slave, white over black, and man over woman.
Chopin s brilliant use of imagery, the story s setting, and characterizations are significant literary elements used that support the ironic outcome and hints of Armand s evil nature. The story crosses the line into the hush-hush world of mixed ancestry and the problems it produces. The racism in the story is not really discussed openly, but is subtly mixed in with Armand s horrible character and his evil soul. The concept of Armand falling in love as if struck by a pistol shot with the passion like an avalanche seems suspicious and sounds more like infatuation than love.
Chopin illustrates Armand s falling in love as almost violent, apparently describing Armand s true character. It seems that Armand s evil could not have come from his parents because the slaves on the plantation were described as happy and cheerful while his father was alive. This also complements the fact that it is Armand who is of mixed race since his father was tolerant of blacks and in love with a colored woman. The death of his mother while living in France when he was eight years old may have had an effect on his character. The way Madame Valmonde described the L Abri as, a sad looking place, which for many years had not known the gentle presence of a mistress, (329) may have been a hint at Armand s evil nature J. Abalahin being tied to having no maternal influence during most of his boyhood.
His mother had lived in Paris, probably because it was more acceptable to be a mixed race couple there. If discovered of his mixed ancestry, Armand s status in the hierarchy of Creole society would have been at stake. Madame Valmonde, Desiree s adopted mother, noticed the baby s mixed ancestry immediately when she went for a visit, exclaiming out loud at first sight of him, this is not the baby! (330) Desiree laughed as she thought her mother was referring to how big the baby had grown since her last visit four weeks ago. Madame Valmonde never took her eyes off the baby and held it in the light of a window. She knew that it was without a doubt of mixed ancestry, but did not mention it to her daughter. Desiree is described by Chopin as vulnerable and innocent, giving off the impression of her being pure and na ve of what was going on around her.
It would be social destruction for Desiree to have given birth to a black child. Armand also noticed that the child was not full white and with this discovery, he turned back into his old nasty self and turned on his family and plantation slaves. One day, while one of La Blanche s quadroon boys was fanning the baby, Desiree let out a cry as she noticed how similar their skin colors were. Speechless, she ordered the boy out of the room.
Armand soon comes after hearing Desiree s cry and she confronts him about the baby s skin color. Her husband immediately accuses her of not being white. Desiree pleads with Armand, Look at my hand, whiter than yours, Armand. (331) As white as La Blanches, (331) replied Armand. A quadroon boy is one quarter black, so that would make La Blanche of colored ancestry. Earlier in the story it was quoted that Armand could hear the baby cry, as far away as La Blanche s cabin, (330) giving suspicion that Armand could be sleeping with some of his slaves, which was not uncommon in this time period. This could explain the quadroon boys and the baby s similar colors and Armand comparing Desiree s and La Blanche s skin colors.
Desiree wrote to her mother in hopes of finding answers, but all she offered was a place for her and the baby to stay. Desiree went to Armand asking him if he would like her to stay or go. This is an example of the dominance of men over woman. The evil Armand truly believed that God had punished him and he was getting God back by what he feels was unjust treatment. Persecuted Desiree leaves with J. Abalahin the baby and disappears into the bayou and they are never seen again.
Continuing with his satanic behavior, Armand burns all the belongings and everything that reminded him of Desiree and the baby. Fear had caught up with him and this was something unfamiliar with Armand. He had always had dominance over everything he possessed and the social fear of having a black baby terrified him. Kate Chopin s, Desiree s Baby, touches on several social issues that was not talked about in this time period or place. The interracial conceiving of children, a husbands dominance over his wife, and whites dominance over blacks were all illustrated in the story. Chopin beautifully represents these issues in an unassuming way and twists everything around in the ironic ending.
The struggle that minorities face, especially women and blacks, are yielding with the social changes of today, but the bias will always be there.
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Research essay sample on Falling In Love Mixed Ancestry
