Power Struggle In D�sir�e's Baby By Kate Chopin

Power struggles have been a driving force behind the actions of humanity for thousands of years. Whether it is simply a neighborly dispute over land boundaries, or a coup d’etat of a major country, people have always felt the need to display superiority. In Kate Chopin’s short story “Désirée’s Baby," Désirée is adopted by the Valmondés after being abandoned by unknown parents. Once she is of age, Armand falls in love with her and they marry. When they have a son, Armand notices that the child possesses characteristics of a black person, and he assumes Désirée must be of African descent. He kicks them out of his house, but ironically, it is revealed that Armand is actually the one of black descent. The apparent issues of white supremacy over

When Armand wanted to marry Désirée, he didn’t feel that her identity was even important if she just took his name. He thought that her family history was simply irrelevant “when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?” (Chopin 1). Armand believes that the only thing that defines a woman is her husband. As long as the husband has a good name, it isn’t even relevant to know the wife’s family origins at all. He is essentially taking away a woman's individuality, as if she couldn’t be anything without a husband. After sending Désirée out of his house, Armand now reflects on his feelings about his wife and their situation. He wallowed in self pity and “thought Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him; and felt, somehow, that he was paying Him back in kind when he stabbed thus into his wife’s soul. Moreover, he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name” (Chopin 2). Armand believes that everything is centered on him, so he hypothesizes that his wife must be part black simply in order to spite him. Proving his egotistical manner, he confesses to no longer loving Désirée for what she has done to his family name. In a sense, Armand feels betrayed, and he must assert his masculinity by ridding his home of the scourged. According to Elfenbein, this race scandal could only end in trouble for Désirée. An interesting belief that Elfenbein shared was “It does not really matter whether she is white or black, since her life depends on the whims, social class, and race of her husband” (116). Désirée still must rely on Armand for everything regardless of who is truly black. Whether Désirée is the one that is black or not, she is still in an equal amount of trouble. Either she will be cut off from her supporter, or her