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

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