Desiree's Baby Literary Analysis
Desiree’s Baby Foreshadowing In the fictional story “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin is a tragic love story, but with dark ending. Armand a young, wealthy, and well known man believed that he had found his soulmate, and married a woman named Desiree. The newlyweds had now became a family with a birth of a baby boy. As the baby was at 3 months their fate could have end in many ways.
I cannot be so unhappy and live” (Chopin 234). The significance that her life has a white lady instantaneously is gone by the nature of racism, as Desiree may be considered a black lady. Desiree is really tortured by this rumor because she knows the hardships that women go through that are considered black, “the condition of being black and female is much more debilitating than that of being black and male”
Desiree’s Baby Foreshadowing Analyzing Foreshadowing may be the most important tool in writing a great story. If used correctly foreshadowing can help build tension in your story. In the short story ‘Desiree’s Baby’ written by Kate Chopin, perfectly illustrates the of foreshadowing with her interesting word choice and the ending of which
Desiree says good-bye to Armand and goes to the deserted field with her child and never came back. Armand was burning all of Desiree’s and the child’s materials into the bonfire. Then he found some letters from Desiree, but one was from his mother to his father, the letter said that she was grateful that Armand would never find out his mother was of slave heritage (Chopin). In “Desiree’s Baby, “ Kate Chopin uses imagery, foreshadowing and allusion to develop the ominos, mystery and sad story.
“Desiree’s Baby” is a short story by Kate Chopin. “Desiree’s baby” is a story about a family in the era where the colored were neglected and treated poorly. Desiree was abandoned and left as a baby. When she was adopted she grew up in a very wealthy family. Armand and Desiree have known each other ever since they were little so when they grew up they got married.
“Desiree’s Baby was written by Kate Chopin and she talks about the issues people had back then with racism and gender. She demonstrated those problems by using literary devices such as symbols, conflict, and irony. I advise everyone to read this story for the fact this kind of conflict is still happening today and we need to work together for a change. Overall this was a great story and it teaches you many great lessons. Take a look
Desiree Valmonde depends on Armand for all her happiness. It is because of their deep love, when he rejects her she chooses to end her life, and that of her baby, instead of living without him. For example a direct characterization of desiree is that she is a good mother “The baby was beside her, upon her arm, where he had fallen asleep, at her breast”(Chopin 1). She takes good care of her baby which tells or helps you to tell her caring personality.
During the era in which this short story was written, southern authors had a major influence on the way the culture was going to grow with racism, and also the way people loved each other. Kate Chopin, a traditional author who believed in southern ways, exemplifies how race and the characteristics of conditional love played a role in her story. In “Desiree’s Baby,” the author, Kate Chopin, provides an illustration of conditional love exemplified by the character, Armand, towards his wife and child; furthermore, Chopin provides instances of irony, elements of surprise, foreshadowing, and symbolism to prove that Armand’s love for both of them was not the unconditional love typically felt and portrayed by women, such as Desiree, during this era. Throughout the story, the readers notice different times where Chopin uses elements of surprise. One major surprise is when Armand opens the letter from his mother and finds out that he has African American in his bloodline.
One of the many short stories by Kate Chopin is “Desiree’s Baby.” In this story, Desiree was found as a toddler under the shadow of a stone pillar by Monsieur Valmonde. He and his wife took the child in and years later, under the same shadow of the stone pillar, Desiree met her husband, Armand Aubigny. Not long after marriage, they had a child. Soon after the baby was born, Armand uncharacteristically became nice to all around him including his slaves.
I cannot be so unhappy, and live” (Chopin, 1894, p. 1608). Her mother’s response does not confirm nor deny these claims, and only asks Desiree to come home with the baby, for even her mother is unsure of Desiree’s true race (Chopin, 1894). Upon bringing the letter to Armand, he tells her to leave, breaking her heart. This letter foreshadows the event of Desiree’s suicide, killing not only herself, but her baby too (Chopin, 1894). Armand, having tossed her away like a worthless piece of property, has brought Desiree to the point of hopelessness.
In “ Desiree’s Baby” and “ The Story of An Hour” written by Kate Chopin the audience analyzes the themes of love and marriage presented by the author in a unique style that is different from other authors during this time period. The similarities that the two short stories address include both of the women who happen to be young wives living under a male dominated culture as well as being under the control of their husbands whom they loved. However, the themes of the two stories are different. In “Desiree’s Baby” the theme portrays cruelty that is expressed through racial prejudice as well as being “blinded” by the ones you love, as compared to “ The Story of An Hour” which gives the reader a chance to explore the issue of forbidden joy in independence, and oppressiveness in marriage.
He hardly knew Desiree, yet he married her anyway and had a son. Another literary device that is used in “Desiree’s Baby” is situational and dramatic irony. For example, like Jeniffer Smith states in Short Stories for Students that “ Several critics of “Desiree’s Baby” have charged that the ending is a trick ending, or an O. Henry ending, so-named after the short story writer famous for the reversals that came at the end of his stories”(Smith 73). Chopin is well known for using these endings in her stories. Just like in the “Story of an Hour” Chopin uses situational irony to keep the reader entertained and to shock the reader in the end.
There are several examples of foreshadowing in Kate Chopin’s short story, “Desiree’s Baby” (Chopin, 1894). The first example of foreshadowing is Armand falling in love so quickly with Desiree. Another example is when Madame Valmonde goes to visit Desiree and her baby after a month and is shocked by the sight of him. Lastly, once the allegations against Desiree’s heritage are announced, in the final moment with Armand, Desiree points out that she is surprisingly fairer skinned than he.
Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”, explored the effects of racial profiling. Throughout the story, a man decides to make his wife leave because he believed she was black, due to the color of their baby. The mind can quickly become the biggest weakness by degrading a loss, thinking only of the present, and jumping to conclusions. As a start, Chopin developed a sense of lost within each story that dictated the lives of each character, ultimately. Mrs. Mallard took the news of her husband’s death as a beacon of relief.
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