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What Does Desiree's Baby Mean

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Desiree’s Baby Kate Chopin’s short story Desiree Baby takes place in antebellum Louisiana. “Desiree Baby” contains examples of loving someone with different origins. One of the first examples is Madama Valmonde: “Madama Valmonde abandoned every speculation but the one that Desiree sent to her by a beneficent providence to be the child of her affection” (1). Kate Chopin shows despite Desiree’s obscure origin that Madama Valmonde still loves her. Eighteen years later Desiree stood by the stone pillar Armand Aubigny fell instantly in love with Desiree. Armand expresses his love by, “That was the way all the Aubigny fell in love as if struck by a pistol shot”(1). Kate Chopin uses this sentence to express Armand’s inner feelings for Desiree. Armand knew Desiree is the unknown origin, but he still married her: “Armand looked into her eyes and …show more content…

Armand takes vows to Desiree, giving her one of the proudest names in Louisiana. Desiree gives born to Armand first born son his mood started to charge, “Armand’s dark, handsome face not often been disfigured by frowns since the day he fell in love with her”(2). In the story, Desiree was blinded by the love of her baby that she did not notice her child was darker than her. Desiree did not realize her baby was a different origin until “Blanche’s little quadroon boy was half naked, and stood fanning the child slowly with a fan of a peacock feather. Desiree’s eyes had been fixed absently and sadly upon the baby” (2). Desiree could not understand, why her child skin was changing colors? Desiree asks Armand why their child skin color was not the

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They end up having a kid but the boy turns out to be not white. Armand angry and upset kicks out both Desiree and her baby because of her mixed race. That night, Armand burns all of Desiree’s possessions. While doing this, he finds a letter that his mother wrote to his

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Armand instantly blames the color of the baby on Desiree because of her unknown lineage. Distraught, Desiree writes to her mother who urges her and the baby to come home. Armand’s insistence that she leave, results in Desiree taking the baby and never being seen again. Later, while burning all of

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By marrying her, he took a gamble on the skin tone of his children, because although two parents may seem white, their kid can turn out to be dark if one or both of the parents are part black. However, it was difficult to predict whether or not this would happen, because race was very ambiguous during the time. Chopin describes Armand as falling in love with Desiree as instantly as a bullet leaving a gun, but despite this strong love for her the reader see that as their child is aging, Armand’s love for Desiree is slowly turning to disgust. As children with dark complexion age, their skin starts light but grows darker. The reader can assume that Armand’s change in attitude toward Desiree is due to the realization that his child’s skin is growing darker proving that it is not fully white.

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Armand noticed and without saying anything to Desiree, started distancing himself from her and the child. When Desiree realizes this and brings it up to Armand, she is extremely confused and asks him what it means. Armand blames her and says that the only possible reason is that she must be part African American. This discovery causes Armand to tell Desiree to leave because he can not possibly love her anymore. Desiree is full of so much shame that she gets her child and disappears into the bayou.

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The story “Désirée’s Baby” by Kate Chopin can be difficult to understand when and where the story takes place. “Désirée’s Baby” tells the story of a mother, Madame Valmondé, her daughter, Désirée, her baby and the daughter’s husband, Armand Aubigny, this story focuses on Désirée and Armand’s relationship after having the baby. When their baby begins to take on a darker color of skin, Armand accuses Désirée of being African American and does not want to be with her anymore. Désirée writes to her mother and Madame Valmondé wants her to come home to her. Désirée confronts her husband and ask if she should leave when he agrees, she disappears into the Bayou with her baby, never to be seen again.

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“When Madame Valmonde see’s Desiree is lying beside her baby, she is startled to see the baby’s appearance” (gradesaver). In Chopin’s story it also mentioned that Armand has a “dark, handsome, face” (Chopin), compared to Desiree having skin, “whiter than you, Armand” (Chopin). Desiree is undoubtedly fairer of the two. Thus, Armand had misleading conceptions about Desiree’s heritage.

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