Literary Elements Of Desiree's Baby By Kate Chopin

Armand's love for Desiree, which is questionable throughout the story. Chopin's use of literary elements and devices helps to convey the themes of love, denial, and surprise in Desiree's Baby.

Kate Chopin was a visionary of her time. However, due to her free and creative mind, she received backlash from male counterparts. She wrote about subjects such as adultery and racism in the nineteenth century, which was thought to be inappropriate for any woman to write or even talk about. In her piece, "Desiree's Baby," she talks about adultery, racism, gender bias, and many other social problems. The story of Desiree tells of her shortened life after having her baby, which is attributed to her being black. Chopin's portrayal of Armand and Desiree uses literary elements and devices such as different types of love, denial, and elements of surprise or deliberate misleads the reader who turns out to be black in the end. The different types of love in this story are incredibly important to the plot, like Desiree and her love for her child. She loves the child enough that she does not care that it turns out to be black, and she is basically kicked out of Armand's house because of it. Furthermore, there is the love of Desiree and her mother, which is a small theme in the story. When Armand turns her away, that is where she is supposedly going to stay, even though she is blamed for being something she is not. Then there is the question of Armand's love for Desiree, which is questionable throughout the story. Chopin's use of literary elements and devices helps to convey the themes of love, denial, and surprise in "Desiree's Baby." The theme of race is crucial to the story. The reason behind Armond's denial of his own skin color becomes clear when we consider the inferior status of women during that time period. Chopin highlights Armond's realization that the baby is black with the words, "that the child is not white; it means that you are not white" (1). Although the protagonist tries to convince him that she is fairer than him, he refuses to listen and remains obstinate. Armond would rather reject his own child and the woman he claims to love than admit his own racism. Unfortunately, this is a common issue in society where people refuse to acknowledge their own prejudices and instead choose to deny or ignore them.