Racism Exposed In Desiree's Baby By Kate Chopin

In Kate Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby,” racism begins to unfold in the life of a happily newlywed couple. Racism defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race” (webster,) This story is placed in Louisiana, prior to the civil war. As history comes to tell us the superior race was thought to be that of the White American in that era. Many white Americans were plantation owners who owned colored slaves. Desiree is a young lady who was found and adopted as a toddler to the Valmonde Family (white family). The author had Monsieur Valmonde remind Armand, as he asked for Desiree’s hand in marriage, that she was from an obscure origin (McMahan, 232). He wanted all things to be well considered as Armand Aubigny was from a well-respected family. With the endings cruel twist, we find that Armand, himself has been living a façade as burned a

Even though, when he asked for her hand her ethnicity was not even a concern to him, because she was a beautiful, gentle, affectionate, sincere and white woman. (McMahan,232) Desiree and baby are subjected to racism by the man who should love them forever, unconditionally. Once realizing the baby was a mulatto he immediately despised both the baby and Desiree. The two seek refuge in Madame Valmonde, whom whole-heartedly welcomed the idea of having them in her home. Through Madame Valmonde’s response it seems as she was patiently waiting for her daughter to ask for help, because she already knew what Desiree did not see when she last visited L’Abri. Armand’s last words to Desiree were dark and cold, they were like a death sentence as he expressed to her to leave for The Valmonde’s Plantation. Willingly, without any hesitation she took her son from the nurse and