StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Racism, Pride, and Love in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
"Racism, Pride, and Love in Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin" paper examines the story which is set against the backdrop of pre-civil war slavery in the southern state of Louisiana. Desiree’s baby has been lauded by critics for several themes that had been pertinent to the lives of people…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.6% of users find it useful
Racism, Pride, and Love in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Racism, Pride, and Love in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin"

Armand’s pride is a recurring theme in the short story, as he is shown as a man who deems his family to be the most superior in all of Louisiana. In the story, Armand describes his family “…as one of the oldest and proudest in all of Louisiana” even though he is already told that Desiree was an abandoned child that was then raised by the Valmonde household (Chopin, 1892).

Even though, Armand knows that but he still expresses a deep desire to give Desiree his family’s name. He was completely ready to accept her as his wife and make her the mistress of his estate. They had a blissfully happy marriage until their child was born, whose skin color bore a striking resemblance to a quadroon, in other words, a one-quarter slave boy. Without giving the circumstances a second thought, Armand blamed his wife’s “Obscure background” as the prime cause behind this occurrence and did not take another second to fall out of love with her.

(Chopin, 1892) Armand scornfully dismisses her and even sends her away along with the child. Desiree is completely devastated at her husband’s change of heart and commits suicide along with her child. Armand, in a fit of rage, burns all of Desiree’s belongings along with all the letters they had exchanged during their courtship and the baby’s cradle as well. At this very moment, Armand finds another letter, from his mother to his father where he then discovers that it was his mother, who belonged to a “race that is cursed with the brand of slavery” (Chopin, 1892).

The story ends with this shocking discovery, however, Desiree’s racial or familial background is left obscured, but, understandably, Armand will finally realize that it was not his wife or child, but Armand, himself who was the ‘so-called’ blot upon his family escutcheon. Being a slave owner, Armand’s arrogance and pride are understandable, but the fact that he was so quick to turn cold towards his wife, fails to be comprehended by logic and reasoning. His wife had been white, but he deemed her unclean for carrying the blood of slaves and never really forgave her for the unconscious injury, she inflicted upon him and his family.

Although he was aware of the fact that Desiree was adopted during their courtship, he was just too blindly in love to consider the possibility that she may be part African. After getting married to her and having a child with her, Armand let his pride ruin their relationship and completely devastated his life family life. The slightest bit of suspicion ruined everything for a happy couple and in the end, it was his pride that took the biggest plunge at the discovery of his race. The entire premise of the short story may not seem relatable to contemporary society, as miscegenation is acceptable to society now.

On the other hand, this story affirms as to why racism is a baseless and immoral practice. Pride in one’s familial or racial background may be a valuable trait, but eventually, it is individual character and achievement that truly make one who he or she is and not his family. Armand lost a devoted and loving wife because of it and completely tore apart everyone involved in this affair. 

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Desiree's Baby Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1604472-desirees-baby
(Desiree'S Baby Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1604472-desirees-baby.
“Desiree'S Baby Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1604472-desirees-baby.
  • Cited: 1 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Racism, Pride, and Love in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin

Comparison of Desirees Baby and The Help

(Chopin,1993) kate chopin used symbolism as superiority complexes, unequal gender roles, social hierarchy in a patriarchal society and racial prejudices to describe her theme.... The paper "Comparison of desirees baby and The Help" states that the stories tell the tale of women surviving in the trying circumstances with the racial prejudices around which directly or indirectly affect their lives and thus brought a huge impact on society.... esiree's baby depicts the story of pride and the degrading behaviors towards biracial identities....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Desiree and the Kelveys: Society's Scapegoats

At first reading, “The Doll's House,” by Katherine Mansfield, and “Desiree's Baby,” by kate chopin, appear to bear little resemblance to each other.... Mansfield's short story deals with the cruelty of little children, while chopin's narrative is based on racism.... The fact that Desiree is an adopted child, whose antecedents are unknown, lies as a blemish on her character, taking precedence over her personal virtues of being “beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere” (chopin, p....
3 Pages (750 words) Research Paper

Desiree Baby by Kate Chopin

The writer of the essay "Desiree baby by kate chopin" suggests that in this story we see the continuation of Chopin's most central theme, the evil that follows when one human being gains power over another and attempts to make that person conform to preset standards or expectations.... In spite of their southern locale, chopin's stories rarely deal with racial relations between whites and blacks.... n her poem "Because," chopin writes, "Tis only man/ That does because he can/ And knowing good from ill,/ Chooses because he will....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

A Voice for Those Who Cannot Speak

The stories of chopin, Sembene, and Devi serve as inspiration for all women and empower them to strive toward a world of honesty and equality.... In Father of Desiree's Baby chopin tells the story of a woman who is penalized not only because of her husband's ignorance but of her nation's discrimination against African Americans.... chopin truly conveys the feelings of heartbreak that Desiree feels stating, "I shall die.... One cannot be so unhappy and live" (chopin)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Book Report/Review

The Influence of the Times on Desirees Baby

This work "The Influence of the Times on Desiree's Baby" focuses on a short story 'Desiree's Baby' written by kate chopin.... kate chopin has set her story sometime before when canvas-covered wagons were the preferred mode of travel.... The author outlines the style of chopin's writings, the role of Creole society in her works.... It is only recently that chopin is being recognized for her true worth as a chronicler of her times....
8 Pages (2000 words) Literature review

Critical analysis of Desiree's Baby

aturalism and American realism were the mes chopin most wrote about but this short story is difficult to classify because of its really short nature, it also becomes difficult because the writer has left the conclusion to the readers.... nferior and superior are also important themes of Desiree's baby, it was always thought that the African Americans were inferior to the native Americans because of the color of their skin, the African Americans never looked as good as the native Americans and purely on the basis of their look they were considered to be much inferior to the native Americans, the story shows how the life of Desiree and her baby gets ruined because of this superior and inferior perception of the people....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin

The story, Desiree's Baby was written by kate chopin, and is about the struggles as well as the problems of racial discrimination even after the slaves were liberated.... Such is the whole premise of this Desiree's Baby The story, Desiree's Baby was written by kate chopin, and is about the struggles as well as the problems of racial discrimination even after the slaves were liberated.... "desirees baby.... Armand accused Desiree of not being white, since their child was not white (chopin 206)....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Discussion in the Context of Kate Chopins Desirees Baby

The paper contains a discussion in the context of kate chopin's 'Desiree's Baby'.... In "Desiree's Baby", Armand's love turns into hatred and his joy becomes sorrow because of his racial pride and superiority complex.... The evil of racist self-pride overcomes Armand's affection for the newborn baby and his love for his wife, Desiree.... Indeed, he fails to love his true Creole identity, he knows very little either about the white slave-owning culture or the African-slave's (also the Creole's) culture....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us