In Kate Chopin’s story, “Desiree’s Baby” the author writes a short story about race, marriage, and acceptance. While this story takes place in the Southern part of the United States, precisely, Louisiana. It seems that during this time slaves were around. This is critical in order to understand the story because interracial marriages were often viewed as taboo. Not to mention African-Americans and whites could not elope together. While this story starts off with a visit from Desiree’s mother. Desiree is adopted and just had a son with her beloved husband Armand. Now we do not know Desiree’s family history, we do know that her adopted family feels blessed to have her and care for her deeply. As for Armand based on the story, we know that he
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Perhaps if Desiree’s family history was known things could have been avoided. The first conflict, I was able to identify, is Desiree's unknown identity. Because Desiree and Armand's baby has features of a mixed heritage this raises red flags among the community. "An air of mystery among the blacks; unexpected visits from far-off neighbors who could hardly account for their coming" (Chopin 2). This sentence could imply that there were rumors going around the plantation regarding the baby's mixed features or it could mean that Armand wanted others to see the baby and confirm his suspicions. We must remember that during this time races could not mix. An African-American could not marry a White person and vice versa. Maybe this is the same reason why Armand’s mother and father lived in France. They knew the inequality among both races in the United States. In order to live together, they moved to France where things were different. Well, not knowing Desiree’s birth parents was an issue for Armand. He felt that by having a baby that had African-like features would destroy his reputation. Not to mention, people would think that he was not the father of the baby due to the different characteristics. He also assumed that because his wife's heritage is unclear, she must be the one carrying African blood. He immediately starts distancing himself from her and the
Perhaps if Desiree’s family history was known things could have been avoided. The first conflict, I was able to identify, is Desiree's unknown identity. Because Desiree and Armand's baby has features of a mixed heritage this raises red flags among the community. "An air of mystery among the blacks; unexpected visits from far-off neighbors who could hardly account for their coming" (Chopin 2). This sentence could imply that there were rumors going around the plantation regarding the baby's mixed features or it could mean that Armand wanted others to see the baby and confirm his suspicions. We must remember that during this time races could not mix. An African-American could not marry a White person and vice versa. Maybe this is the same reason why Armand’s mother and father lived in France. They knew the inequality among both races in the United States. In order to live together, they moved to France where things were different. Well, not knowing Desiree’s birth parents was an issue for Armand. He felt that by having a baby that had African-like features would destroy his reputation. Not to mention, people would think that he was not the father of the baby due to the different characteristics. He also assumed that because his wife's heritage is unclear, she must be the one carrying African blood. He immediately starts distancing himself from her and the