Theme Of Désirée's Baby

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Recommended: Desiree's baby by kate chopin literary devices

Kate Chopin is the writer of a brilliant short story entitled "Désirée 's Baby." The story focuses on two individuals that fall in love, marry, and have a baby together. After Desiree 's husband begins to believe that she has ancestors that are black, her husband Armand, isolates himself and eventually kicks them out of his own house.There are many factors that play a role in the development of identity. Race/Ethnicity, societal beliefs, and religion are these factors. In the story "Désirée 's Baby," Chopin offers an opportunity to analysis the impact of these on identity development.

"Désirée 's Baby" is about a woman that is not aware of her background because she was adopted into a wealthy Southern family; therefore, she meets the handsome …show more content…

(Maku). Racism in the South was a constant factor that made a family background and heritage of great importance. Race plays a key role in the story "Désirée 's Baby" ' because first of all Désirée does not even know her race, she just assumes that she is white and so does everyone else all because she looks white. In "Désirée 's Baby" Armand kicks "Désirée and the child out of his house because he said she was part black. Considering how "Désirée did not know anything she believed it in a way she left questioning her own identity of who she really is; because the whole time she was growing up she assumed she was white. Race also is the whole reason Désirée was kicked out of Armand 's house because she was "supposedly" half black. Back in history being half black or even being black was frowned upon. In the story " 'It means, ' he answered lightly, 'that the child is not white; it means that you are not white '" showing his prejudice against black people is deeply rooted (Chopin 2). This is a result of a strongly held superiority of Armand 's ethnic group, "Ethnicity, on the other hand, has traditionally been defined in terms of characteristics such as common language, culture, and national origin" (Quintana). Désirée is a woman that does not know anything about her background all due to her being adopted by a nice family. Even the family that had adopted her did not even know …show more content…

He thinks he comes from a high income and a very prestigious family. In the story "Désirée 's Baby" Armand says that " What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?" this shows that he is very proud of his own name (Chopin 1). Even later on in the story, Désirée states that "Oh, Armand is the proudest father in the parish, I believe, chiefly because it is a boy, to bear his name; though he says not ,---- that he would have loved a girl as well. But I know is n 't true I know he says that to please me"(Chopin 2). Even Désirée knows that he is proud of his heritage and that he now has a son to carry on his prestigious name. In all reality, however, he finds out that he never even knew his background all

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    ...the theme that weak individuals succumb to societal norms regardless of their own feelings. Armand shows that he is a weak character, yet there are signs that some of his beliefs are progressive. However, because of the weakness in his personality, Armand is unable to express these beliefs. Rather, he is forced to destroy something of great importance to himself simply because he is too weak to stand up for his beliefs. Through the ironic ending in which Armand discovers that he is the donor of the black gene, Chopin teaches the danger of being a weak individual: Armand is punished for his weakness by Desiree, a woman he once loved, leaving while at the same time bearing the knowledge that he is of a race that he himself hates. Chopin presents the challenge to all humans to strive for individuality and self-esteem, lest they too fall victim to their own weaknesses.

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