Desiree’s Baby is a short story written by Kate Chopin. In the story there are a man named Armand that believed to be a white man. One day Monsieur Valmonde found a abandoned baby whom he raised. She was courted by the son of another wealthy family named Armand. They marry and have a child. When the people see the baby they have the sense that it is different and they realize that the baby’s skin is the color of one-quarter African. Armand immediately assumes that his wife is part black so she and the baby were evicted by Armand. Finally Armand realizes that he is the one-quarter African and not his wife (Chopin). In “Desiree’s Baby”, Kate Chopin uses symbolism, themes and characters to develop this short story.
To begin with, one literary device that Kate Chopin uses is symbolism. Symbolism is a person, place, or thing that represents something beyond itself, most often something concrete or tangible that represents an abstract idea (“A glossary of Literary Terms”2). One symbol in Desiree’s Baby is the bonfire. The bonfire symbolizes both Armand’s anger and desire to rid himself of Desiree, as well as his passion …show more content…
These fine objects symbolize Armand’s wealth and influence, as well as the material transaction that is taking place through the marriage” (LitCharts.com 1).
In addition a literary device that Kate Chopin uses is themes. Theme is the message about life or human nature that is “the focus” in the story that the writer tells (“A Glossary of Literary Terms” 3). The first theme Kate Chopin uses is racism and gender bias. Like many other American men of the mid-nineteenth century South, Armand Aubigny bases the worth of a person primarily on his or her race and gender. Women are subordinate to men, he believes, and persons with a black in their family tree are little more than subhuman (Cummings Study Guides
To begin with, one literary device that Kate Chopin uses is symbolism. Symbolism is a person, place, or thing that represents something beyond itself, most often something concrete or tangible that represents an abstract idea (“A glossary of Literary Terms”2). One symbol in Desiree’s Baby is the bonfire. The bonfire symbolizes both Armand’s anger and desire to rid himself of Desiree, as well as his passion …show more content…
These fine objects symbolize Armand’s wealth and influence, as well as the material transaction that is taking place through the marriage” (LitCharts.com 1).
In addition a literary device that Kate Chopin uses is themes. Theme is the message about life or human nature that is “the focus” in the story that the writer tells (“A Glossary of Literary Terms” 3). The first theme Kate Chopin uses is racism and gender bias. Like many other American men of the mid-nineteenth century South, Armand Aubigny bases the worth of a person primarily on his or her race and gender. Women are subordinate to men, he believes, and persons with a black in their family tree are little more than subhuman (Cummings Study Guides