Desiree's Baby Character Analysis

In the story “Desiree’s Baby” we are introduced to a character by the name of Armand Ambigny who was Desiree’s husband. When one first reads the story, at the beginning it can be assumed that he is just a minor figure in the story and there’s a bigger picture. However, further reading helps to show how Armand is the antagonist of the story in the end, or in other words, he was the villain. He doesn’t originally come off as the villain because he was so swoon by Desiree and so in love, the villainous side of him was hidden. But then, his true colors emerge and we are reintroduced to the real Armand, the destructive, cold hearted, selfish and proud man that he really is. Various events throughout the story help us to see what kind of man he really …show more content…
These metaphors helps to foreshadow how destructive Armand is. He acts as a human fire; he destroys and tears down all the things that come into his path. Also, how he is not capable of true love; fires and avalanches eventually end, the snow stops falling and the fire eventually fizzles out. Armand may have been hit hard by the physical appearance of Desiree but it wouldn’t last long and it didn’t. When the baby’s complexion starts to darken and it can be seen clearly that the child comes from African descent, he becomes cold and disconnected towards his wife that she doesn’t even fight when he tells her to leave, she just “disappeared among the reeds and willows….she did not come back again.” He had crushed her spirit with how easily he could turn her away. The weeks following her leaving, he burns all the things the belonged to Desiree and their baby. “A graceful cradle of willow…silk gowns, laces, embroideries, bonnets and gloves…the last thing to go was a tiny bundle of letters”. He wanted to destroy all evidence of them ever existing in the …show more content…
When he first decides to marry Desiree and everyone tells him that she’s nameless he things, “What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?” He was very proud of himself and the name that he came from. When he finds out that his child is from African descent, he thinks nothing to turn him and his mother away so not to destroy his reputation. The love for his wife and child cant withstand the blow that will happen to his ego and to his reputation. “Moreover he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name.” He cared more about his name than he does people; this also feeds into how destructive he is. “Desiree’s Baby” is the story of a young woman who falls in love with a destructive, cold-hearted, proud and selfish man. Armand Ambigny can be assumed as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. At the beginning of the story he’s soften by the love that he has for Desiree and their new baby. However, soon, his true colors, intentions and personality are revealed. He’s a destructive man, who could easily turn his back on his wife and child because they bring disgrace to his name and his