Desiree's Baby By Kate Chopin Analysis

In “Désirée’s Baby” by Kate Chopin, the tone changes throughout the story. In the beginning of the story the tone is dreamy, but it suddenly becomes grave in the end, reflecting how society’s demands can break apart even the strongest of loves and force someone to hide their deepest secrets. Armand Aubigny fell passionately in love with Désirée, so they got married and had a baby, but the baby turned out to be bi-racial. Since African-Americans were slaves and considered to be the “lesser” race, Armand sent Désirée away, even though he loved her, assuming she was half black because no one knew her biological family or where she came from. In the end, when Armand found out that his mother was black, he burned the evidence and said nothing to keep from bringing upon himself the discrimination he brought upon Désirée and her baby.
The author’s use of strong word choice helps the reader form connections with the characters in the story and puts the reader in it. When Chopin calls Désirée the “idol of Valmondé,” it tells the reader that Désirée has everyone wrapped around her fingers and she gets whatever she wants, even though she is not really theirs, because she is so sweet and beautiful. Saying that Armand fell in love with Désirée “as if struck by a pistol—shot” makes the reader feel like their love is strong, passionate, and

unexpected. Later in the story, to describe how Désirée feels about the baby, the author writes that Désirée’s face became “suffused with a glow that was happiness itself.” To express the effect the baby has had on Armand, Désirée relates to Madame Valmondé the story of Armand simply calling Négrillon a “great scamp” when he tried to get out of work, while in the past Armand might have beat him. However, the middle of the story changes almost completely in mood, so the diction changes. When Désirée realizes that her baby is mixed, her blood turned “like ice in her veins,” suggesting to the reader how horrible this realization is. Chopin describes the baby’s race as an “unconscious injury” on Armand’s household, which helps emphasize how bad this was in those times, because he still treats her like she is nothing to him. At the end of the story, Chopin says that Désirée “disappeared” with her baby, suggesting that she committed suicide and killed the baby. Her diction helps change the story from a happy one to a story filled with dismay almost instantly.
Chopin uses detail in the story to explain what is happening at a given moment and to foreshadow what will happen next. When Armand decides he wants to marry Désirée, Chopin points out that "Monsieur Valmondé grew practical and wanted things well considered: that is, the girl’s obscure origin. Armand looked into her eyes and did not care." Chopin uses this detail in the moment to describe Armand's growing love for Désirée and to show that it can overcome anything and everything. As happy as this seems in the moment, it also suggests that there will be some sort of problem with Désirée’s background in the future. When Madame Valmondé arrived at L'Abri and saw the baby, "She scanned the baby narrowly, then looked as searchingly at Zandrine, whose face was turned to gaze across the fields." Madame Valmondé hadn't seen the baby in four weeks, and she wanted to make sure that she got a good look at him because he was her grandson. This also hints that Madame Valmondé sensed that something was not right about the baby, and that she knew he was mixed and there would be problems for Désirée. Kate Chopin's details in the story reflect what is happening in the moment, but also point to what will happen next.
Chopin uses some figurative language in “Désirée’s Baby” to show the tone of the story.

In the beginning of the story, Chopin compares Armand’s love for Désirée to a pistol shot to show how fiery it is. She also compares Désirée’s blush at the mention of Armand to “happiness itself,” to show how much she loves him. However, when the tone of the story changes, so does the figurative language. Toward the end of the story, Chopin describes Désirée’s dread by saying, “the blood turned like ice in her veins.” She also says that Désirée’s voice “must have stabbed him, if he were human,” to show the reader that Armand no longer loves

Désirée.
Kate Chopin’s style reflects how a society that is set in their beliefs can break apart even the strongest of loves and force people to keep dark secrets about themselves. “Désirée’s Baby” has a meaningful message about how assumptions can be dangerous, and points out society’s flaws.