Lack Of Love In Desiree's Baby By Kate Chopin

Lack of Love There are many talented writers who have their own unique way of writing, but many do not compare to Kate Chopin’s style. In her short story, “Desiree’s Baby,” seen in Vogue magazine, she tells a heart-wrenching story about a woman with an unknown background which leads to an ironic and devastating ending that leaves the reader speechless. Through her writing and her choice of topics, Chopin makes it clear to her audience that she is an untraditional feminist who strongly supports women’s rights. In “Desiree’s Baby”, Chopin uses robust imagery, and symbolism to reveal Armand’s true evil colors. Her daring altercations make the reader realize the difference between conditional and unconditional love. Because of her beautiful choice …show more content…
Chopin’s incredible diction chills the reader and makes the story realistic. Through this timeless piece of art, Chopin uses symbolism to make her audience realize that some things are not always what they seem. For example Chopin states, “But Armand’s dark, handsome face had not often been disfigured by frowns…” Armand’s face is used to symbolize the evil spirit that no one had recognized up to this point in the story. Also represented in this statement is a hint dropped by Chopin to point out the darkness of Armand’s skin to represent his tainted origin. One ideal portrayal of symbolism used in, “Desiree’s Baby” is when Chopin is repetitive when she continues to mention the big stone pillars. One can infer that the symbolism behind the stone pillars shows the unbreakable love Madame Valmonde has for Desiree. Throughout “Desiree’s Baby,” Chopin constantly mentions the colors yellow, black, and white. Yellow is used to symbolize the tainted skin of the mixed …show more content…
Chopin consistently uses cold imagery throughout the story to show the chill that comes over Desiree when she discovers why her husband, Armand, has given her the cold shoulder. Chopin states, “The blood turned like ice in her veins…” The color white shown on Desiree throughout the story puts the image of the innocent and sweet Desiree in the reader’s mind to make Desiree’s death that much more ironic. Yellow is constantly a color seen throughout the story regarding the skin of some of the plantation workers. Yellow gives the reader an idea of the color of a tainted individual and also gives a comparison between the whites and the mixed plantation workers. Black is seen throughout “Desiree’s Baby” to give the reader an eerie feel because of the evil spirit that suddenly appears through Armand near the end of the story. When the reader reads about the fire that Armand lights to burn Desiree and the baby’s possessions, the reader sees the fire and pictures a satanic Armand with fire in his eyes that burns with the lack of love he has for his family. The sunset is also used to represent the death of a day and also the death of Desiree and her