Desiree's Baby Literary Analysis

In Kate Chopin’s short story, “Desiree’s Baby,” her views on racism are expressed, showing that she is against the racist attitudes of the late nineteenth century. She conveys her views by using metaphors to show the evils of racism and using certain words to describe Armand. Chopin writes, “And the very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves” (par. 17). Chopin uses the metaphor to compare Armand to Satan, portraying him as heinous for accepting racism. She implies that the treatment of the slaves is so horrid and that Armand does not realize how inhumane it is, causing his attitudes towards slaves to continue. Armand views the slaves as inferior to him, which in turn causes him to justify the way

The tragedy in “Desiree’s Baby” would not have happened the way it did if the story had taken place today; society is more accepting of mixed individuals and there is a better understanding of genetic inheritance. According to Pew Research Center, “majorities of multiracial adults are proud of their mixed-race background” (“Multiracial in America” par. 2). Rather than trying to hide the fact that they are mixed-race, they are proud and embrace it. Today, it is common to see mixed individuals and interracial marriages. With the mindset of the twenty-first century, Armand would not react so harshly since he is the father of the baby, regardless of its race. In the story, Armand’s main concern is his name and reputation; however, in today’s society, race does not determine someone’s status. Armand is concerned about protecting his reputation, but the fact that his child has African American blood will not damage his reputation. Desiree and the child will not be ostracized for their race. Society has come a long way from slavery and African Americans are no longer seen as inferior. His pride and reputation would not be viewed negatively because of his child’s appearance; therefore, his reaction to the child and Desiree would not have resulted in a tragedy. In addition, more information about genetics is understood than ever before. According to Miko, some children resemble more of one parent than another due to dominant and recessive traits (par. 2). Parents of today’s society are more educated about the science behind physical appearances. It is known that some alleles are recessive and do not show, whereas others are dominant and therefore very prominent in a child’s features. With this knowledge, Armand would not jump to conclusions about Desiree, knowing that he could be the parent with the gene. He would