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Desiree's baby character analysis
Desiree's baby character analysis
A 3 paragraph essay about desiree's baby
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Literary Analysis
The main character of Desiree’s baby Armand Aubigny is the sole heir to the Aubigny plantation and fortune. Armand the husband and father to Desiree and her baby was a strict and cruel master of his plantation bring fright to even his wife when upset. Armand Aubigny was a very prideful man who gave off an egotistical way about him. Following the footsteps of the other men in his family Armand fell instantly in love with Desiree. “.. Like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire, or like anything that drives headlong over all obstacle.” Armand married Desiree with haste only waiting for the Coribeille to arrive before they wed. Even though having seen her many times before the day he passed her standing outside the Valmondes' gate.
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Desiree’s unknown origin and lack of name did not bother Armand because he believed he could give her a good-standing name that was one of the oldest and proudest names in Louisiana. They wed and move to Armand’s plantation away from her family to live and be taken care of by his slaves. At the end of the story we realize Armand is not the person Desiree thought him to be but instead a selfish, unsympathetic man.
The story states “Marriage, and later the birth of his son had softened Armand Aubigny’s imperious and exacting nature greatly.” One day, when the baby is three months old, Desiree wakes up in the morning with the feeling that her sense of peace will soon come to an end. She has noticed the apprehensive moods of the slaves as well as the unusual visits from her neighbors who can’t give her an explanation on why they decided to stop by. Then Armand does a complete turn around and becomes very distance with his wife. He no longer looks directly at Desiree and he goes out of his way to avoid her. He returns to his cruel treatment of his slaves. Desiree is miserable. When there is no denying the babies true color as well as Desiree’s mother calling her back home, he agrees she should leave, never once believing the child's genes could be from his
There is a lot to talk about Armand character in the short story of Desiree’s baby. In the beginning of the story, he is such a great person he loves Desiree. This quote “beautiful and gentle” shows that Armand is fall in love with her. However, his character change, when he found out that baby wasn’t white. His character of being a good husband to a cruel husband. The story clearly explains his initial character and final character. I believe he is not pitiable at all because he shows his cruelty character toward Desiree and not only that, he cares about his social standing, which motivates him. When he bought “fine clothing and layettle” this shows a symbolic object of wealth and his possession of Desiree. He wouldn’t act in a cruel way if
“Desiree’s Baby” can represent a timeframe status of how slavery and race were a factor that defined people. Armand was very ambiguous by the tone he would had towards Desiree and by his action. Desiree was faithful to her husband, in the other hand we are able to understand or presumed that La Blanche’s boy looked very alike as Desiree’s baby, which most likely Armand might be the father of both kids. Armand was in love at first, but then his pride and ambiguous.
The short story suggests that Brently Mallard dominated his wife – and for this, she is not happy, and dies soon after. Desiree’s Baby also represents women’s lack of power and male dominance in the society. When Desiree’s mother tells her to come home, based on Armand’s reaction to having a child the same color as a slave, Desiree has to seek approval of her husband to leave. This shows his control over their relationship and his power over Desiree.
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.
“ I thank the good 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.” (Desiree’s Baby, 4) This is the ending dialogue to the story “ Desiree’s Baby,” written by Kate Chopin, describes an interracial marriage that is ended during the time of slavery, but even though we are past those times, there are still problems that interracial marriages are facing today.
Desiree’s Baby takes place in the Antebellum Period (1789-1849) where slavery was starting to become less common. Never the less slavery was still prominent in the southern states such as Louisiana, which is where the story takes place. Armand, a plantation owner, treated his slaves as many plantation owners did, with anger, punishment, degradation, and humiliation, which were accomplished through his words and actions.
...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.
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
“Desiree was happy when she had the baby and Armand was as happy and nice to the slaves then before but after he saw his child growing to be mixed it changed his whole attitude” (Griffin). This shows how the story takes place during slavery time, since the husband was a slave.
Kate Chopin, an acclaimed American author, made waves during the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century by creating various works that often addressed sensitive issues such as the overbearing domestic roles of women and the ingrained prejudice in society. Her famous short story, “Désirée’s Baby,” reflects this idea as it demonstrates how hypocrisy and prejudice destroy the marriage between the main characters Désirée and her husband, Armand. While these two are the catalysts of the events that took place in the story, another person plays a significant role in their tragedy. La Blanche is a slave at L’Abri who Désirée and Armand mention on three separate occasions, but she never appears nor speaks in the story herself. Despite
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.
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,
Korb, Rena. "Critical Essay on 'Désirée's Baby'." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
Armand becomes furious because he believes that Desiree?s race is what alters the color of the baby. After that incident, Armand displ...
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.