Women and Slaves are not so different as seen in
Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”
When most readers go through Kate Chopin’s story, it’s easy for them to grasp the obvious meaning of ‘Desiree’s Baby’; the effect of slavery on families in the 80’s. There are two conflicting ideas; Being black or white. At the time, the Caucasian race was considered to be superior, and the mixing of African Americans to the family line was considered to be degrading and embarrassing, especially to the wealthier families. Chopin shows this in the story by writing about how Armand disowned his wife after finding out that their baby is not completely white. But, taking a closer look can help us see that the writer is also talking about other things than the prejudice …show more content…
Armand considered her eyes and did not care. He was reminded that she was nameless.” (Chopin). Armand was aware that Desiree’s past was unknown but he looked into her grey eyes and assumed that she was Caucasian, so he didn’t care about her name or family history. Chopin uses her eyes as a reference again later in the story when Desiree says “…I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are grey, Armand you know they are grey. And my skin is fair…” (Chopin). The fact that he loved her grey eyes tells us that he fell in love with her because she was white. That’s the obvious meaning of the story. But Chopin is also telling us that he fell in love with her looks, not her personality or history. Maybe he didn’t love her after all. Desiree was just a commodity to …show more content…
For example, when Chopin describes how Armand fell in love with Desiree, “Armand met Desiree when she was eighteen, he rode past her as she stood one day against the stone pillar. He fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot, which was the way that all Aubignys fell in love.” (Chopin). These statements indicate that Armand fell in love with Desiree’s appearances, not her personality or who she was. This is significant for the outcome of the story. This reveals the extent of his love for her to be surface-level, as the story will demonstrate. Because if he hadn’t fallen in love with her appearances only, he wouldn’t have reacted the way he did at the end of the
Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”
When most readers go through Kate Chopin’s story, it’s easy for them to grasp the obvious meaning of ‘Desiree’s Baby’; the effect of slavery on families in the 80’s. There are two conflicting ideas; Being black or white. At the time, the Caucasian race was considered to be superior, and the mixing of African Americans to the family line was considered to be degrading and embarrassing, especially to the wealthier families. Chopin shows this in the story by writing about how Armand disowned his wife after finding out that their baby is not completely white. But, taking a closer look can help us see that the writer is also talking about other things than the prejudice …show more content…
Armand considered her eyes and did not care. He was reminded that she was nameless.” (Chopin). Armand was aware that Desiree’s past was unknown but he looked into her grey eyes and assumed that she was Caucasian, so he didn’t care about her name or family history. Chopin uses her eyes as a reference again later in the story when Desiree says “…I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are grey, Armand you know they are grey. And my skin is fair…” (Chopin). The fact that he loved her grey eyes tells us that he fell in love with her because she was white. That’s the obvious meaning of the story. But Chopin is also telling us that he fell in love with her looks, not her personality or history. Maybe he didn’t love her after all. Desiree was just a commodity to …show more content…
For example, when Chopin describes how Armand fell in love with Desiree, “Armand met Desiree when she was eighteen, he rode past her as she stood one day against the stone pillar. He fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot, which was the way that all Aubignys fell in love.” (Chopin). These statements indicate that Armand fell in love with Desiree’s appearances, not her personality or who she was. This is significant for the outcome of the story. This reveals the extent of his love for her to be surface-level, as the story will demonstrate. Because if he hadn’t fallen in love with her appearances only, he wouldn’t have reacted the way he did at the end of the