Desiree's Baby By Kate Chopin: Literary Analysis

“Désirée’s Baby” begins with a sweet, albeit brief history of how Désirée was taken in by a kind woman named Madame Valmondé when she was discovered as a toddler, lying by the Valmondé estate and having no known biographical history. Désirée grows up to be a beautiful young woman, so it is no surprise that Armand Aubigny falls in love with her “as if struck by a pistol shot” (Chopin 539). Despite Monsieur Valmondé’s explicit warnings that Désirée’s origins are unknown and that she was practically without a name as a result, Armand is too in love with her to care, and they are married soon after. Initially, the marriage is a happy one. Armand is obviously of a racist disposition, considering the time period and his ownership of several slaves at L’Abri. His harsh treatment of his slaves further proves that he holds genuine disdain for those of a darker complexion than his own, as “his negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as they had been” when Armand’s father was their master (Chopin 539). However, when Désirée gives birth to a son, Armand’s treatment of his so-called property becomes marginally less cruel. His happiness at having sired a healthy child with the woman he loves clearly affects his moods, and he puts an end to …show more content…
Once the baby’s non-white complexion begins to outshine the love and joy, Armand is once again fueled by hate fire. His deep-seated racism fills him to the core, so much so that he drives his beloved wife and child out of his home and into the wilderness, accusing Désirée of being the source of the so-called problem: “‘…the child is not white; it means that you are not white’” (Chopin 539). How can a man who was seemingly so in love with his wife suddenly turn around and essentially take it all back? The answer lies with Armand’s twisted—and, sadly, probably commonly accepted during this time—perception of race and its effects on social and familial