Change In Desiree's Baby By Kate Chopin

As a child, we are sheltered from the smallest pains in life. However, as we grow older, we are expected to not let it affect us any manner. In the short story “Desiree’s Baby,” by Kate Chopin, the main character, Desiree, is depicted as an emotional character and is influenced by her environment and the people in it in a negative way. Through its ironic story line and use of a changing tone, along with a evident theme of racism, Chopin suggests that Desiree has a weak mindset and is reliant on a stable environment to calmly navigate her life.
In the beginning of the story, the author sets the mood for a genial storyline. Using words such as “pleasant” to describe the day, Chopin effectively communicates an ironic start for the story (Chopin,

As the visit from Desiree’s mother continues, she details in on how her husband, Armand, has changed because of his child and marriage for the better, as he did not punish the slaves or treat anyone with remorse. As a wife, it is indicted that “This was what made the gentle Desiree so happy, for she loved him desperately” (2). The use of tone in this shows how much of a innocent character Desiree is. The change in Armand was enough to make her happy, as she put her life and soul into his. She became happier than she ever was, and lived a good life for some time. However, the tone of the story soon takes a turn. Desiree soon realizes that the color of child is not white, like her husband or her, which is what had shocked her mother about the child when she came to visit. While looking at the face of the slave, she realizes that her child in black in complexion, causing her to become worried. As she realizes the undeniable truth, “She stayed motionless, with gaze riveted upon her child, and her face the picture of fright” (2). It was in this moment that her husband came in, and as she spoke with him, a harsh tone could be noticed. By noticing the change in her child, she ends up freaking out, and with her husband’s harsh tone towards, her heart ends up shattering. With a gentle personality, she was sheltered and not exposed to pain as a

Sending her mother a distressed and depressed note, she is shown to be impacted by her environment in a severely negative manner. The kind note she receives from her mother asks her to come back with her child, inviting her back into the stable and friendly environment she grew up in. Before leaving, Desiree speaks with Armand asking if she should leave. Responding in a harsh tone, he says that she wants her to leave, and as she waits for him to call her back, she turns around one last time, hoping that he would call her back. Instead, “He did not answer her. That was his last blow at fate” (3). Desiree is shown to be impacted by this so much that she ends up leaving with her child, and instead of returning to her mother, she ends up leaving and going into a bayou, indicating the idea that she may never come back. Amongst the chaos, it is revealed that as Armand burns Desiree’s things, that it was his mother that was black. This twist at the end of the story highlights how illogical racism is and due to this created stigma against blacks in the story, it leads Desiree to let her environment shape her thoughts in a negative way and leads her to go to the bayou.
In “Desiree’s Baby,” Kate Chopin effectively conveys the message that racism is a concept with flaws, and does not make any sort of sense. By communicating an innocent character with Desiree, she is able to establish the