Comparing Desiree's Baby And The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

Désirée's Baby" and "The Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin have the common themes of marriage and love. These themes while the same each story shows them in their own unique ways. While both stories by Chopin have these common themes, they also have a number of different themes between the two. Within "Désirée's Baby" Chopin also shows the themes of slavery and racism, intersection of classism sexism and racism, irony misjudgment and fate. Within "The Story of An Hour” Chopin also shows the themes of Freedom and Independence. These themes are shown within the stories in various different ways using settings, symbols, and the characters themselves to build them.
The setting of "Désirée's Baby" is depicted within the Louisiana within the mid

Each symbol has it separate meaning that is used to build on. The fine clothes that she is wearing while being married shows the wealth that her husband offered her. When Armand plans to marry Désirée “He ordered the corbeille from Paris”. Showing that he views he soon to be wife as perfection and deserving of only the finest things. The life that Désirée is living with her husband seems to be a happy and well off. This connects to themes of marriage and love because the marriage seems to be perfectly intact and happy. The love that the husband had never seemed like anything but the natural love from husband and wife. The baby can also be seen as a symbol throughout the story. Once the baby is born the husband like any new father is full of joy. Désirée stated “Oh, Armand is the proudest father in the parish”. The “Marriage, and later the birth of his son had softened Armand Aubigny’s imperious and exacting nature greatly”. Showing that he did hold honor in his marriage and had love for his son. This is until the people around him started to ask questions and show doubts of about his own child. When Désirée asked Armand about the child he stated, “That child is not white; it means that you are not white". These questions and doubts caused him not only to turn on his wife and son but also exile them. The final symbol within the story is The Bonfire was

After considering these aspects the setting of "Désirée's Baby” does a better job in showing the theme of marriage and what that meant in the 19th century. The symbols found within "Désirée's Baby” does a better job in building the themes of love and marriage when compared to “The Story of An Hour”. The symbols of Fine clothes, Unnamed Son, La Blanche’s Child, L'Abri Planation, and the Bonfire. Show what the love and marriage between the characters where really like and what these aspects where in the 19th century. The characters within "Désirée's Baby” do a better job in building the themes of love and marriage. The relationships between the characters and the characters themselves show what true love means and how important it is within a marriage. In conclusion the story "Désirée's Baby” by Kate Chopin does a superior job in using the setting, symbols, and characters in order to build the themes of marriage and