In “Desiree’s’ Baby” Chopin illustrates slavery and racial issues in the 19th century. In the plot of the story it shows Armand being a wealthy owner of a plantation, with slaves. Through irony and foreshadowing, Chopin shows the treatment that was done by Armand to the workers because they were of color, and with his family because they are not the same. The irony used in this short story conveys the theme of race by giving the reader a think situation in which they can analyze the color of each character but not giving away their race completely. Chopin describes Armand as having “a dark, handsome face that had not often been disfigured by frowns since the day he fell in love with her.” The author is describing how Armand of a bad attitude has changed since his newborn has been in his life. This portrays the difference in his attitude towards situations that before he use to frown about, now he may not pay attention to this so much. Armand is seemed in this scene as a dark faced guy because of this attitude and grieve, but he is darker then Desiree. In the story, another reference of irony happens when Desiree sees the baby and compares it with one of the little boys that works in …show more content…
Armand has his background of a wealthy family with a great pride of the Aubignys while Desiree was the daughter of Madame Valmonde who was thought to be brought to the plantation by some Texans who abandoned her. Armand took this as an advantage to tell Desiree that she was not white because they did not know who were her parents and what was her race. This also relates to the irony when Armand told Desiree that she was not white because he could use this as an advantage to make her feel miserable and not make any situations in thinking that he may have background with people of
Leading towards the end of the story, Armand builds a bonfire on the pyre. The bonfire symbolized Armand getting rid of all his memories of his wife and child. Throughout this paper I have shared Chopin’s use of symbolic elements by discussing symbols of racism, social class distinction, and the symbolic elements involving the difference between the gender roles. At the end of the story Armand reads a letter from his mom to his father. Armand finds out that his mother is from the African descent after; he has lost his marriage and family.
Constructing an environment in which the one-drop rule should theoretically thrive, Chopin places Desiree in a southern plantation where she can be made black easily, but more significantly, where blackness carries significant consequences. Despite Desiree’s ability to effortlessly assimilate into southern society, taking on the role of the “beautiful, gentle, affectionate and sincere” southern belle, the story never loses sight of her “obscure origin” (Chopin 440). As a result, Desiree is not...
Armand becomes furious because he believes that Desiree?s race is what alters the color of the baby. After that incident, Armand displ...
Korb, Rena. "Critical Essay on 'Désirée's Baby'." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
"Desiree's Baby" is Kate Chopin's most well-known short story and most anthologized piece of work. The story takes place in southern Louisiana and her writing reflects her Creole-French descent. Chopin begins the story with a descriptive quote, "when she reached L'Abri she shuddered at the first sight of it, as she always did. It was a sad looking place...Big solemn oaks grew close to it and their thick leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall" (185). The preceding quote gives the reader an eerie feeling and foreshadows an unpleasant ending to the story. Throughout "Desiree's Baby," Kate Chopin uses symbolism to convey her themes of racial prejudice, unequal gender roles, and social hierarchy in a patriarchal society.
The characterization of Armand showed that he knew all along about his ethnicity. Armand wanted to cope with his insecurities and feel to his slaves, which is evident in the following example: “…young Aubigny’s rule was strict and under it his Negroes had forgotten, how to be gay as they had been during their old master who was easy going and indulgent in his lifetime” (Chopin 708). Armand was afraid people in the community might get to know about his secret. For example, when Desiree is confronting him, she asks, “Do you want me to go?” (710). Armand replies, “Yes I want you to go” (710). Armand immediately makes up his mind to allow her t...
In the story of “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin, there are many literary themes that can be analyzed such as love, racism, gender inequality, and miscegenation. What this analysis will focus on is primarily on the central male character, Armand Aubigny, and on his views towards racism. More specifically, what this essay will aim to prove is that Armand Aubigny looked down upon the African race to the point where he hated them. One of the biggest driving points to aid this idea is how his family name shaped his behavior and actions according to the societal normalities of his time period. Another important aspect that will be considered is his very relationship towards his slaves in how he treated them cruelly even to the point where he is described as “having the spirit of Satan” (Chopin 3). In addition to this, the reader will also see Armand’s negative reaction to being aware of the implications of his son and wife having mixed blood in where he practically disowns them. With all this culminating to Armand finding out the ugly truth that the race he had treated so horribly is actually a part of his very own blood as well.
He was convinced that his name is “…one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana” (Chopin 48), because of his family name. Armand took advantage of the fact that he was a owner slave and came from a family whose name was well known and he feel like a king. He’s pride was above his actual family and all he wanted was to protect the family name and history at any cost. After his boy was born, because his skin turned darker than it is supposed to be, he assumed that his wife, Desiree, is black and he asked her to leave. He felt that his pride was hurt because of the shame that his wife brought to the family name. He didn’t support that others to find the same thing and begin to discuss and make jokes about him. At this point, he started to show his real character. He felt like “…he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name” (Chopin 51). These words bring out the true feelings of Armand, that he never loved Desiree, but it was only a fleeting desire, only a lust. According to Chopin, Desiree was a beautiful girl, “For the girl grew to be beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere, - the idol of Valmonde.” (47). Armand loved Desiree only for her outward appearance, not for her character. His love for Desiree and for his son was a superficial love. He destroyed Desiree’s life and he ruined his own life as well because he lost his wife, his baby, and also, he
...ol every whim of his wife’s life and essentially her humanity. Chopin strikes an ironic dagger into the tradition of male superiority to women and the white elitism of the time by revealing that Armand was the one who was of mixed race (Minor). The slaves were the most concrete victims in the story who were subjugated to a master who used his control over them as an outlet for his own problems (Toth). The most powerful depiction of victimhood of the forces of prejudice is the child of Desiree and Armand, who finds his life taken from him due to parents who have a misguided sense of their purpose of life that is heavily polluted by the social structures and norms that they fell in line with for the duration of their lives. Prejudice served as the backbone of the power structure on the Aubigny plantation that ensnared all of those involved into a state of darkness.
She shows how he is perceived in his community and the broad perspective of his character. There are many examples and opinions in of the way Chopin shows Armand’s character. Foy states “Contrasting his father’s easygoing and indulgent manner towards negroes with strict rule of Armand, Chopin warns of a tragic outcome but does not enlighten us until the very end” (223). This meaning that unlike Armand’s father who was cruel and heartless towards he slaves. Armand was more respecting and thoughtful towards them. Also Chopin leaves a bit of foreshadowing in the text above stating there well be a tragic outcome at the end of the play. Peel provides us with some background information as well as, interesting topics she states “The story takes place in an antebellum Creole community ruled by institutions based on apparently clear dualities: master over slave, white over black, and man over woman. Complacently deciphering the unruffled surface of this symbolic system, the characters feel confident that they know who belongs in which category and what signifies membership in each category” (224). In her statement she is stating that each character knows which role they place in society. Armand is a confident white male slave owner who is in control of the system of race, sex, and class at all times. In many instances I agree with “In "Desiree's Baby," Chopin
Racism can simply be defined as the thinking that one race is better than another. Illustrating the theme of racism throughout “Desiree’s Baby,” Kate Chopin portrays racism through the character Armand. This is evident through the harsh treatment of Armand’s slaves and how his feelings for Desiree change after he assumes the baby is of mixed ancestry. Leading to say should a person be judged because of their race, social class, or gender? In Desiree’s Baby,” Kate Chopin demonstrates gender bias and the theme of racism through Armand judging a person by their race or gender, his thought that women or inferior to men, and his assumption that Desiree is the one of mixed descent when the baby shows evidence of mixed ancestry.
Once apon a time there was a man and a woman who fell in love and lived happily ever after. Right? That’s how it ends? well no not in this case. In “ Desiree’s Baby “ written by kate chopin one could say not everybody gets a happily ever after. the one thing that draws them together ends up being their doom. in “desiree’s baby,” kate chopin points out the prejudices that interracial couples faced in the 19th century as they do today.
At one point, Chopin writes, “But Armand’s dark handsome face had not been disfigured by frowns since the day he fell in love with her” (Paragraph 15, Chopin). He was not just happier the moment he married her, but from the moment he saw her. Chopin also mentions how the cruel way he treated his slaves vanished once the baby was born. From this we can see his love for Desiree and even for the baby. This was until, the baby 's real complexion begins to set in at three months. Desiree had a sense that something bad would take place, which was followed by Armand 's distance from her and the baby. In addition to, the revival of his brutal behavior towards the slaves. The passage describes Armand 's new character as though, “the very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him,” (Paragraph 16). Which was only a foreshadow of how he would act
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.
When we analyzed the story of Désirée’s Baby, we can’t find any foreshadowing of the ending. We have hints that lead us in the opposite direction. When we analyze the characters it is obvious that our first reaction is to blame Armand. He is an unpredictable, egotistical little worm. But Kate Chopin forces the reader to blame him or herself instead of Armand. Even though it is hard to catch the meaning of the story the first time around, the moral is still subconsciously implanted in our heads when we laugh at Armand. If you think about it you would not have done any better. The well-known Aesop’s fables teach the children of morals and good behavior. However adults need to be reminded as well.