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Gender roles during the 19th century
Gender roles during the 19th century
Gender roles during the 19th century
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“I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.” Anais Nin wrote this quote. This quote symbolizes what Desiree’ thought she had in a husband until he disappointed her by kicking her out of the house upon the realization that their son had black in him. This was a big deal for a wealthy Caucasian man during the 19th century due to the fact that he had a status to uphold. Desiree’ had to obey by his rules and leave as he commanded. Kate Chopin wrote Desiree’s Baby in 1893. During this time period, the rights of Caucasian women were completely different from today. Their roles within society during that time differed within the households, and with their ability to work, own property, vote, and various other things. This disabled women from having a voice even making, what we would call today, easy everyday decisions. Armand Aubigny was a husband, father, landowner, and an owner of slaves. This was a common status of a wealthy Caucasian man during this time period. This status meant that his wife, Desiree’ was not allowed to participate in much. Mostly just expected to make children and tend to whatever the husband needed. …show more content…
Normally men who were wealthy married women from wealthy families who usually were not educated past grade school and lived with their parents until they were married. This cycle continued until about the late 19th century. Those who could or needed to work worked as teachers, writers, domestic workers or factory workers. Becoming a doctor or lawyer was almost unheard of due to the laws created to prevent advancement from happening. In today’s society, women may have to work harder but they are definitely more equal to men than in past
Regionalism is a type of literature that focuses on a certain region and portrays the region’s characteristics and customs. This is shown throughout the story when Chopin discusses racism in Louisiana and the treatment of slaves during that time. Chopin pointing out the different cultural characteristics and customs was not meant to divide people, but rather bring American citizens together in unity despite the differences. Local color can also be found in this short story. Chopin investigates the dangers of mixed women in a racist society, and she examines the complex changes taking place in women’s lives. Désirée’s Baby also represents naturalism because Chopin focuses on how interracial mixing was forbidden during the post-Civil War era. Yes, the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery, but that doesn’t mean discrimination against African Americans came to a halt. This story represents the discrimination they continued to face, and the baby represent African Americans as victims in society. From a historical perspective one would assume that this short story was written during a time when slavery was legal, but it wasn’t. Kate Chopin wrote Désirée’s Baby twenty-seven years after the Thirteenth Amendment was passed. During the Reconstruction Era African Americans were still facing discrimination. This story was written as a reflection of the
As the years dragged on in the new nation the roles of men and women became more distinct and further apart for one another. Women were not allowed to go anywhere in public without an escort, they could not hold a position in office let allow vote, and they could only learn the basics of education (reading, writing, and arithmetic). In law the children belonged to the husband and so did the wife’s property and money. The only job women could think about having was being a ‘governess’ which would give other women education.
Yet, as the years advanced toward the Civil War and Reconstruction, the public, monetary matters, and political functions for women started to transform. Women’s attire became chic, even for countryside and lower-class women. Their outfits, which began to “show the details bodies to their benefit,” showed the passion and power of women to rid themselves from the harsh commands of the male-dominated society. While most married women performed labors in the home—and their “inconveniences growing heavily” in regards to the expansion of non-farming jobs for men—it was not unusual for women mainly those who lost their husbands during the Civil War, to earn income. Even though the social and financial transformations brought about many rights for women, possibly the most important change during the 19th and early 20th centuries was made of the political transformations brought about by the numerous number of reform groups in regards to women’s liberties, such as ending slavery, voting rights , self-control, and education.
In 'Desiree?s Baby,' Chopin illustrates her idea of the relationship between men and women by portraying Desiree as vulnerable and easily affected, whereas Armand is presented as superior and oppressive. Throughout ?Desiree?s Baby,? Kate Chopin investigates the concept of Armand's immense power over Desiree. At first, Desiree tries to conform to the traditional female role by striving to be an obedient wife. Later in the story, this conformity changes after Desiree gives birth to her part-black son.
Throughout the years many variations of the ideas on race, class, and culture have been presented based upon different factors. In earlier times people’s views were not nearly the same as they are presented today. Ideas that women belong in the kitchen or that African-American’s were an inferior race were common. Those views were very popular during the time of Kate Chopin’s book “Desiree’s Baby.” Chopin’s book explores the controversial areas of race and class as well as touching on the subject of culture. “Desiree’s Baby” shows the life of Desiree from a young child through adulthood. The young Desiree was found by a rich family alone on the streets. Even in a time where race and social class was important the wealthy, a rich couple took in young Desiree without knowing her ancestral background. Desiree lived a good life with the family. The story then switches to when Desiree was a young adult and falls in love with Armand Aubigny. Armand also comes from a wealthy background and still falls for Desiree without knowing her racial background. Eventually, the young couple has a baby but to their surprise the baby comes out with African traits. Armand is not happy and rethinks whether she has African in her background or if maybe she had an affair with a slave. Desiree’s mother offers to have her and the baby come back and stay with them but when Desiree leaves she disappears and is never seen again. Later, Armand finds out that it may not have been Desiree that carries African roots but himself, from his mother’s side. Overall, Chopin’s work looks into the controversial issues of race, class, gender and culture using ironies and the story-line to infer the views of these topics.
In the story of “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin, there are many literary themes that can be analyzed such as love, racism, gender inequality, and miscegenation. What this analysis will focus on is primarily on the central male character, Armand Aubigny, and on his views towards racism. More specifically, what this essay will aim to prove is that Armand Aubigny looked down upon the African race to the point where he hated them. One of the biggest driving points to aid this idea is how his family name shaped his behavior and actions according to the societal normalities of his time period. Another important aspect that will be considered is his very relationship towards his slaves in how he treated them cruelly even to the point where he is described as “having the spirit of Satan” (Chopin 3). In addition to this, the reader will also see Armand’s negative reaction to being aware of the implications of his son and wife having mixed blood in where he practically disowns them. With all this culminating to Armand finding out the ugly truth that the race he had treated so horribly is actually a part of his very own blood as well.
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.
“Tell me what it means!” she cried despairingly.” It means,” he answered lightly, “that the child is not white; it means that you are not white” (Chopin, p. 192). Kate Chopin's "Desiree's Baby" is a well-known short story. “In her life, Kate Chopin actively searched for female spiritual emancipation and expressed it in her writing”(Deter, 2000). Throughout the story, Kate Chopin uses symbolism to convey her themes of racial predisposition, unequal gender roles, and social ladder in a society. The characters and the setting in this short story help provide the readers with more understanding of how patriarchal our society is at that time.
That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot…The passion that awoke in his that day, when he saw her at the gate, swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire, or like everything that drives headlong over all obstacles.”(47). Most often, such love does not last, it is like a fire that ignite some dry straw but it is consumed very quickly. The true love was the one between Armand’s father and his wife, which was of black race. To be with her, he left his plantation and his important name in Louisiana and went to live in France, a land foreign to him, just to offer an easier life to his wife, “But, above all, she wrote, “night and day, 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.” (Chopin 52). To show his love for Desiree and their baby, Armand could do the same thing his father did many years ago, but his attitude towards Desiree looks like in fact his love was just one who pass away went something wrong happened in their life, when life 's challenges arise. The true love is when you can’t live without another person, when his/her happiness is your happiness, “This was what made
It was already made clear multiple times throughout the story how Desiree felt about all the changes that were occurring. She was miserable and saw no point in living. After knowing that, it is easy to infer that she chose to drown herself and her child, rather than going home to her mother. A few weeks after leaving, Armand holds a large bonfire in his yard burning all the belongings of Desiree’s and the baby’s. Everything from clothing, to the crib the baby slept in, to the early letters that were exchanged between the two of them before marriage. Among those letters, was one from his mother to his father. The letter explains why she left, stating she was happy to be away because it meant that Armand would grow up not knowing that his mother was actually black. The fact that Armand had this letter in his possession means that he knew for some time the truth of his heritage. However, to keep from harming his name, he led Desiree to believe that she was the black parent, which led to her untimely demise.
Years went by with no word from Armand, and Desiree grew tired of waiting for him. Her hair turned a light brown and her eyes a stormy grey, evidence of the toll of what Armand had did to her. Their child however, had grown into a beautiful boy, with dark hair, golden brown eyes and russet colored skin. Desiree mentioned nothing of Armand to the child. Whenever asked by the child she just said with fake smile on her face “he will call for us when he is ready for us to come back”. Monsieur Valmonde who grew tired of seeing Desiree so sad, decided to get her a place of her own, so that she wouldn’t be stuck on the plantation. He found them a small house in the woods, not far from the cotton fields, and close to the big stone pillars where Desiree was found many years before. The house was used once a place where slaves would hide from their former master, but now since Monsieur was running the plantation; it was just an old, battered, falling-apart house. Monsieur told his field workers to come to fix it up, and told them good to make it a home for the child and Desiree. When Monsieur showed her the finished product Desiree gave a real smile, one that hasn’t been seen since her child’s birth.
“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.
The climax of Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin takes place when Desiree’s husband, who has been happy “since the day he fell in love with her”, accuses her of belonging “to a race cursed with the brand of slavery” (26). Desiree was a young lady who “grew to be beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere (21), and she was married. Their new family “softened Armand Aubigny’s imperious and exacting nature greatly; he was an arrogant, racist, slave owner. Desiree tells her mother, “I’m so happy; it frightens me” (23). And because Armand couldn’t have been happier when their son was born, he has been less aggressive with the slaves, “he hasn’t punished one of them – not one of them” (22). A few months passed before Desiree felt “there was something
Armand did not want anything to destroy what he was well known for “a slave owner”. Desiree ask Armand if he wanted her and the baby to leave the house, Armand response was “yes leave”. When Desiree heard those words her whole world was shattered because the only person she ever loved was Armand, and Armand no longer loved her.
Firstly, Desiree had many other options than the one she ultimately choose for example she could’ve just gone home back to her mother and father who could’ve helped her in many ways. And seeing that the Northern United States had mostly banned slavery she could’ve moved up there to