Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin and Daisy Miller by Henry James

Realism is a literary movement that attempts to describe life without romanticism or idealistic prejudgment (writershistory.com). Although realism cannot be precisely timed or limited to any period, it is most often associated with a movement in 19th-century. Henry James and Kate Chopin are regarded as two of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. James contributed knowingly realism, particularly in his persistence that writers will be allowed freedom of independence in presenting their judgment of the world. Kate Chopin participated in realism movement by placing awareness and importance on women's lives and their repeated fights to create a self-image of their own within the Southern culture of the late nineteenth century. The views of American society to race and gender in the works Desiree's baby by Kate Chopin and Daisy Miller by Henry James can be easily distinguished from the 19th-century from today’s society.

In Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin references discrimination in Creole, Louisiana during the antebellum period. Race has continuously left a significant impression on the past and continues in today’s society. African Americans were always seen as the failures, and treated harshly because the color of their skin. They didn't have any voting privileges or equality compared to that of Caucasians. Desiree’s Baby depicts how racial discrimination can control ones way of living even in intimate relationships. Race and birth history is a strong theme throughout. Desiree was adopted into a high socioeconomic status. She herself was not really sure of her origin. The concept of birth history first appears when Desiree is found by Monsieur Valmonde and rumors begin to fly as to who Desiree is and her origin. Madame V...

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...isy Miller gender discrimination. Armand was a slave master but later ironically became informed that he was actually mixed with African American. While women of the American Rome community had negative assumptions of Daisy Millers character and her reputation was questionable as a woman of value.

The two stories “Desiree’s Baby” and “Daisy Miller” both had a lot of similarities. There was discrimination in race in “Desiree’s Baby” and in “Daisy Miller” there was discrimination in gender. Ironically in both stories the same type of person did not like the same things that revealed; Armand was a slave owner and did not accept African Americans as equivalents but ironically later to become aware of the fact that he was an African American himself. In Daisy Miller women of the community did not like Daisy but she was a woman herself and unfortunately misunderstood.