Desiree’s Baby is a short story about Southern racism and the widespread abhorrence of miscegenation (the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types).
The main theme of racism is integral to “Désirée’s Baby”, for it shows an illustration of Chopin’s time where African Americans were inferior to the whites.I researched the historical background of this time period and found out that this short story was published in 1892, twenty seven years after slavery was abolished, but placed in the era of slavery. Set in Louisiana, during the early 1900s on a white owned plantation. The author shows several times throughout the story, the treatment of black people and mixed heritage.In the story, Armand is portrayed as the man
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Desiree was the same person she was yesterday but for some reason, the possibility of having black heritage fills her with so much shame to the point where she writes on her letter to her mother that she cannot live, “I shall die. I must die. I cannot be so unhappy, and live.” The mere thought of having mixed blood makes Desiree want to kill herself. I was so baffled as to why skin colour was held in such importance. I wondered.. We’re all human beings, capable of thought and loving so why is racism still prevalent? Racism is defined in the dictionary as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Personally, as someone who has come from another country and is coloured and has faced racial discrimination, I believe that racism is unacceptable. It is just wrong. It is a sensitive and challenging issue but one which needs to be addressed by all of us if we want to live in an inclusive and loving environment. Being a good person does not depend on your religion, status in life, family name, political views