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Analysis of Kate Chopin’s Désirée’s Baby

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on May 23, 2021

Kate Chopin ’s brief but mesmerizing story opens in medias res , with Madame Valmonde preparing to visit her adopted daughter, Desiree, recently married to the wealthy Louisiana plantation owner Armand d’Aubigny and even more recently delivered of a baby girl. Then, in a series of flashbacks, the narrator reveals Desiree’s uncertain origins as a foundling, her beauty as she grew to womanhood, and Armand’s passionate proposal of marriage. The narrator then returns to the present and, using briefl y effective images, sketches the hierarchical plantation system of whites, quadroons, and blacks. Using Mme. Valmonde’s perspective, the narrator reveals that the baby does not look white—and so the tragedy of this story moves rapidly to its completion.

It is difficult to imagine a reader who would not be horrified and disgusted by the results of the racism and sexism that permeate this story. No one could believe that Armand Aubigny’s inhuman cruelty to his wife, Desiree, and his child is warranted. The only real uncertainty for the reader concerns Armand’s foreknowledge of his own parentage: Did he know that his mother had Negro blood before he married Desiree, or did he discover her revealing letter later on? If he did know beforehand (and it is difficult to believe that he did not), his courtship of and marriage to Desiree were highly calculated actions, with Desiree chosen because she was the perfect woman to be used in an “experimental” reproduction. If their child(ren) “passed” as white, Armand would be pleased and would keep the marriage intact. If not, Desiree, the foundling, would be the perfect victim to take the blame.

Kate Chopin/The New York Public Library

This may seem to be judging Armand too harshly, because the narrator does describe his great passion for Desiree, so suddenly and furiously ignited. Certainly Armand behaves as a man in love. But Chopin inserts a few subtle remarks that allow us to question this, at least in hindsight: “The wonder was that he had not loved her before; for he had known her since his father brought him home from Paris, a boy of eight, after his mother died there.” It does seem unlikely that a man of Armand’s temperament would conceive this sudden intense desire for “the girl next door,” a sweet, naive young woman whom he has known for most of his life. Right from the beginning, Chopin also reveals details about his character that are unsettling, even to the innocent and loving Desiree. The basic cruelty of Armand’s nature is hinted at throughout the story, particularly regarding his severe treatment of “his negroes,” which is in notably sharp contrast to his father’s example.

Armand’s reputation as a harsh slave master supports the presumption that he has known about his own part-Negro ancestry all along. He did not learn this behavior from his father, who was “easy-going and indulgent” in his dealings with the slaves. The knowledge that some of his own ancestors spring from the same “race of slavery” would surely be unbearable to the proud, “imperious” Armand, and the rage and shame that this knowledge brings would easily be turned against the blacks around him. In much the same way, when Armand realizes that his baby is visibly racially mixed, he vents his fury viciously on his slaves, the “very spirit of Satan [taking] hold of him.”

Modern readers will find many disturbing aspects to this story. The seemingly casual racism is horrifying. Feminists are likely to take exception (as they sometimes do to Chopin’s The Awakening) to Desiree’s passive acceptance of Armand’s rejection of her and his child and her apparently deliberate walk into the bayou. Suicide is not the strong woman’s answer to the situation, but Desiree is definitely not a strong woman. What she does have is wealthy parents who love her and are willing to take care of her and the baby. Why does she feel that she has to end her life? Gender and class roles and structures were so rigid in this period that it was impossible for a woman to cross those lines very far; the racial barrier was the most rigid of all. No mixing of black and white blood would ever be condoned in that society, so Desiree’s baby would never find acceptance anywhere. Desiree is not able to see a viable way out of her terrifying situation, and her view is not entirely unrealistic, considering her time and place. As she has done in her other stories, Kate Chopin realistically depicts the cruelty and horror of a social structure that totally denies power to women, children, the poor, and most of all, blacks.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Chopin, Kate. The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. Edited by Per Seyersted. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1969. Koloski, Bernard. Kate Chopin: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1996.

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“Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin Essay

Introduction, culture and identity, summaries of three sources, works cited.

Desiree’s Baby, authored by Kate Chopin, is a bittersweet short story with an ironic ending. The plot centers on Armand, a wealthy landowner in Louisiana falls for and marries Desiree, a woman of unknown heritage. Later, the couple bears a son with a black skin color, which, according to Armand, comes from Desiree. However, in a twist turn of events, Armand learns that he has a French ancestry, which may have contributed to the child’s mixed heritage.

In this story, the author examines the theme of race and identity by hiding Desiree’s identity. Throughout the story, Desiree’s real identity is a mystery to both Armand and Valmonde who raised her. By disclosing Armand’s mixed heritage, which led to some form of identity crisis towards the end of the narrative, Chopin shows that knowing one’s cultural background is important in identity development. This research essay explores the theme of identity and the role it played in plot development in Chopin’s short story.

In the story, it is evident that knowing one’s identity and origin helps a person connect with the society. The lack of knowledge about a person’s origin affects one relates with others in the society, especially race relations. After Monsieur Valmonde adopts her, rumors emerge about her unknown identity.

Before her marriage, Valmonde tells Armand that “the girl’s obscure origin” could affect his social relations and standing leading to a hasty wedding (Chopin 3). In addition, after the baby is born, his black traits heighten the mystery of Desiree’s heritage. On the other hand, Armand’s aristocratic lineage and “dark, handsome face” do not raise suspicion that he could be from “the race cursed with the brand of slavery” (Chopin 5).

Critics argue that the story’s focus on “the quaint and picturesque life among the Creole and Acadian folk of the Louisiana bayous” (Rankin 124) is an indication mixed heritage can affect identity formation. In addition, the story contains “Southern elements and regional dialects” (Bloom 85), which indicates that Chopin is using a local interpretation to illustrate social relations in Louisiana. Thus, in the story, Desiree’s unknown identity prevents her from fully integrating into her new home and marriage.

Culture and identity also help one to develop a deep sense of the self. A person develops a sense of self-awareness through experience and culture. Initially, Desiree is depicted as white when adorning “soft white muslin and laces” (Chopin 4), but later Armand doubts her whiteness. She defends herself by claiming, “It is a lie; it is not true, I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray” (Chopin 4).

Her sentiments show that, given her unknown heritage, she doubted her ‘whiteness’, which affected her ego. Moreover, Chopin describes her as a “silent, white, and motionless” (6) individual, unlike Armand, who comes from a wealthy aristocratic family and commands great respect and power.

Arner writes that Chopin’s “profound irony and reversal of racial identity” helps develop a sense of justice on the part of the readers (34). It shows that people with an inferior racial background develop a low self-esteem. In addition, Chopin’s association of “darkness with Armand and whiteness with Desiree” (Arner 36) symbolizes their true character and identity. However, Desiree’s unclear racial identity results in her underdeveloped sense of the self.

Culture and identity also define one’s destiny and condition in life. The human situation in the slavery era was determined by one’s ethnic background, where one race was considered superior to the other. In the story, Armand rejects the boy because of his skin color, which, he believes, makes the child inferior to him.

This forces Desiree to request Armand to leave to spare the child the humiliation and stigma. To convey their suffering, Chopin writes that Desiree, after leaving Armand, walks “under the live-oak branches across a deserted field where the stubble bruised her feet” (3). She treads along the “banks of the deep, sluggish bayou never to come back” (Chopin 5). The child’s black skin color wrongly portrayed her as one with an inferior racial identity, forcing her to leave Armand’s household.

Peel asserts that Chopin’s intention is to bring to the fore “the concerns of sex, race, and class” that dominated master-slave duality (223). The story illustrates the 19 th century relationships between whites and blacks as well as between men and women. On the other hand, Chopin reverses racial identities to “confuse the borders of race, gender, truth, and perception” (Peel 229). To Chopin, human interrelationships blur racial and gender boundaries.

Knowledge of one’s culture helps a person to embrace his/her identity and lead an authentic lifestyle. Identity is a means of advancing one’s aspirations and interests. In the story, Desiree’s unknown heritage affects her social status; she receives blame for the child’s skin color and as a result, she is expelled from her home.

Because she did not know her identity, she was not able to pursue her dreams and interests. Despite her skin being “lighter than Armand’s” (Chopin 3), she faces cruelty from Armand. Moreover, she does not retaliate, but remains “stone image: silent, white”, which portrays her as submissive and powerless due to her black heritage.

Commenting on Chopin’s story, Sollors notes that the racial boundary between whites and blacks is blurry because “some slaves are part white, while at least a few masters have a black heritage” (637). In the story, Armand, who, as we learn later, is part black, enjoys a higher social status by virtue of his aristocratic lineage. Sollors further writes that “blackness and whiteness” (639) in the story are discordant with the reality, which explains the characters’ twisted fates.

Identity also defines one’s character and worldviews. Culture shapes a person’s attitude, values, and beliefs, which play a role in interpersonal relationships. Armand is described as being of a dark appearance, which alludes to his cruelty towards Desiree and the slaves working on his plantation.

In one instance, Desiree responds to Armand “in a voice that must have stabbed him, if he was human. But he did not notice” (Chopin 3). This depicts Armand as a person with no sense of morality partly because he was brought up in a wealthy family. His unjust attitude makes many to believe that “God was paying him back in kind when he stabbed thus into his wife’s soul” (Chopin 4).

This description shows that Armand’s “dark personality” does not originate from his ancestry, but “the evil he embraced and incorporated into his identity” (Fox-Genovese 8). In this view, Chopin shows that Armand’s ignorance of his cultural background made him embrace evil values and beliefs that are not part of his culture. Fox-Genovese further notes that the “yellow nurse woman” in the story alludes to the “elements of both light and dark” that shape an individual’s identity and behavior (21).

In the story, the theme of identity is apparent during Madame Valmonde’s visit to Armand to see the baby. She holds the child close to the source of light to see his skin color. In another instance, Zandrine hides her shock from Madame Valmonde on realizing that the child is black. Desiree’s identity, as a “white married woman” is affected when it becomes apparent that the baby has a black heritage (Bornarito 17). The realization that she might have a mixed heritage changes her self-concept to the extent that she agrees to leave Armand’s household.

In the story, Chopin shows how an unknown identity can affect one’s societal standing and individual aspirations. Uncertainty over her heritage made Desiree a subject of cruelty and social stigma. On the other hand, the truth about Armand’s mixed heritage shows how his lack of knowledge of his origin shaped his opinion of the black race. Thus, knowledge of one’s culture helps construct individual identity and shapes views, self-concept, and relationships with others.

Arner, Robert. “Pride and Prejudice: Kate Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby”. The Mississippi Quarterly 25 (1972): 131-140. Print.

The article is a commentary on racial relations in Desiree’s Baby. It examines dualities in the short story, such as white vs. black and dark vs. light as well the yellow color. It also examines identity formation risks in the story and the advancement of the ‘social self’ at the expense of the individual ego.

Bloom, Harold. Kate Chopin, Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Print.

The book is a collection of writings authored by literary critics of Chopin’s works. It also features Chopin’s biography and short stories, including Desiree’s Baby and the Awakening arranged in a chronological order. The literary critics comment on the romantic images, the plot, and the characters in Desiree’s Baby.

Peel, Ellen. “Semiotic Subversion in ‘Desiree’s Baby”. American Literature 62.2 (1990): 223-238. Print.

The article examines power relations in Desiree’s Baby, especially the oppression of women and blacks. In particular, the article analyzes the symbolism behind Desiree’s name, which means obsession with other people’s desires. The subversion of her desires leaves her devoid of her identity and interests.

Bornarito, Jessica. Chopin, Kate General Commentary : Feminism in Literature: A Gale Critical Companion. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Print.

Chopin, Kate. Desiree’s Baby . New York: Create Space Independent Publishing Platform, 1893. Print.

Fox-Genovese, Elizabeth. “Between Individualism and Fragmentation: American Culture and the New Literary Studies of Race and Gender”. American Quarterly 42.1 (1990): 7-29. Print.

Rankin, Daniel. Kate Chopin and Her Creole Stories . Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992. Print.

Sollors, Werner. Neither Black nor White yet Both: Thematic Explorations of Interracial Literature. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2020, April 1). "Desiree’s Baby" by Kate Chopin. https://ivypanda.com/essays/desirees-baby-by-kate-chopin/

""Desiree’s Baby" by Kate Chopin." IvyPanda , 1 Apr. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/desirees-baby-by-kate-chopin/.

IvyPanda . (2020) '"Desiree’s Baby" by Kate Chopin'. 1 April.

IvyPanda . 2020. ""Desiree’s Baby" by Kate Chopin." April 1, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/desirees-baby-by-kate-chopin/.

1. IvyPanda . ""Desiree’s Baby" by Kate Chopin." April 1, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/desirees-baby-by-kate-chopin/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""Desiree’s Baby" by Kate Chopin." April 1, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/desirees-baby-by-kate-chopin/.

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What Having a Baby Taught Me About Writing

by Joe Bunting | 30 comments

Introducing Marston Atticus Stephen Bunting!

On Thursday, April 18, my son Marston Atticus made his dramatic entrance into the world. In the last week, I have changed forty-seven diapers, swaddled him sixty-four times, and bounced him to sleep for innumerable hours.

What I haven't done much of is write. Yes, I've jotted down the occasional note to jog my memory later, but this post is the first serious writing I've managed to do. Babies take a lot of time!

However, having a baby has also taught me something surprising about writing and drama.

The Two Elements of Drama

There are two essential elements to create drama and suspense in your writing:

• A character you care about.
• Doubt about the future (in other words, a dramatic question ).

If you don't have a character you care about, you won't care about her future and whether she gets the things she wants. That's why so much writing advice says  protagonists  must be likable.

Suspense requires empathy, and to tell a good story, you have to make the reader care about your characters. (Care to tweet that ?)

However, if you don't create events that throw the future of your characters into doubt, if you don't make the reader ask “What happens next,” you won't have much of a story. Suspense requires  both  empathy and  doubt.

How to Create Drama In Life and Art

Life contains it's own drama, but different stages of life have different levels of drama:

• Dating . In my experience, dating is full of emotional mood swings, ecstatic highs and despondent lows. You care about your significant other, but there's doubt about your future together—a perfect recipe for drama.
• Marriage . When your relationship progresses from dating to marriage, some of the drama disappears, for better or worse. While you care about your spouse even more than you did when you were dating, there is less doubt about the future and thus less drama.
• Children . While some of the drama of life disappears in marriage, in my brief experience, the drama returns when you have a baby. You care about your child almost more than you can bear, but at the same time, the future is completely in doubt. The drama that faded in marriage returns as strong, if not stronger, than before.

As a new parent, I've found I'm constantly asking dramatic questions:  Will he like me? Will he grow up to be happy? Will I be a good parent? 

And of course, there are the worries, the vivid scenarios that every parent plays in their minds. The question “What's the worst that could happen” is much worse than ever:  What if I drop him on the concrete sidewalk? What if we get into a car accident and his car seat fails? What if he chokes on something and I can't get it out?

Writing With a Baby

Your characters are your babies, and I'm realizing that having a child of your own helps you become a better parent to your characters.

You become more empathetic. You have a deeper perspective into the human condition. And you're constantly imagining vivid, frightening scenes of things that could go wrong for your child (or is that just me?), perfect material for your stories.

The suggestion that you should have children to improve your writing might be going to far, but what I'm coming to find is that living life to its fullest and caring deeply about others is one of the best ways to become a better writer.

What about you? What has having children taught you about writing and storytelling?

Tell a story that answers the question, “What's the worst that could happen?”

Write for fifteen minutes. When your time is up, post your practice in the comments section. And if you post, be sure to comment on a few practices by other writers.

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

30 Comments

Congrats again, Joe. Having my son has taught me and continues to teach me so much about life and about myself. So many of the things I’ve written have been prompted by things I’ve seen him do or heard him say. And, you are right, if our eyes are open, they do give us a deeper perspective in the the human condition.

Being a new dad myself I can directly relate with quite a bit of this. My struggle lately is that parenting a newborn is a lot of work with little reward. The kid can’t talk, might smile if you’re lucky, and cries a lot. It’s a pretty boring story. So like you, I haven’t written much but what I have written has been about finding purpose in the mundane.

Hey Tyler… keep your head up! That first seemingly “boring” investment of endless nights and laundry and feeding and diaper changing eventually bears a lot of fruit. A LOT of fruit. Just because your babe can’t talk yet doesn’t mean s/he isn’t drinking in every stimulus around her, by the bucketfuls. Babies are much more perceptive than most people realize. Keep interacting and talking to your baby; and one day it will explode into a “sudden” evolutionary boom.

One thing I can say, enjoy the pre-walking months as much as you possibly can. Once your child starts walking, it really is all over. 🙂

This is great Birgitte. Thanks.

Yeah, Tyler, enjoy the little one while you can. We have three boys and now they run around so much – and all you want is to cuddle them like you did when they were new.

Count how many times you actually get to hold that baby. No, really, count up how many times you get to. I tried to imagine the exact number when we had our first. It really made me grateful for each moment.

Hi Joe, Welcome to the wonderful, exhausting, exhilarating world of parenthood! Having children has filled my life with love, adventure, humor, angst and lots of fodder for storytelling. Once you hold that baby in your arms, you never see the world in quite the same way again. That applies to grandchildren , too. Great post!

I’m so happy for you. And I wish I could tell you it gets easier. But the challenges and the worries just change. My son is driving now and my daughter is about to start learning. College is looming in the not-too-distant future. Soon I won’t be able to intervene if I want to. You think it’s scary having all the control? Try facing giving it up when you’re certain they aren’t ready! Enjoy the snuggles while you have them. And congratulations again.

What a sweet, thoughtful post Joe. I can empathize (!!) with your sentiments because it was the birth of my daughter who inspired me to get my talent in gear (and shape) and start writing again after many years of complete and utter neglect.

And my literary fountain hasn’t stopped gushing since.

Hi Joe, Congratulations! I can totally relate to you since we have little ones too. There are many challenges and much drama but it is totally worth it! And watching children gives a boost to my own creativity because they have such an amazing beginners mind! I really like the writing advise courtesy of your newborn! I also like the part where you mentioned treating your characters like your babies and caring about your stories. All the best! Harish

My children taught me emotions I never thought possible like extreme joy and complete rage. Had I not had children, I might have never known those experiences as deeply. It’s not enough to be just happy or mad and only children can drive you to both. Congratulations

Congratulations Joe! I do not have children of my own, but I experience there presence daily at my winter job and they truly are a wonderful thing (When they are not crying your ears off that is xD) Good luck!

Congrats! No, it’s not just you. I stand over my sons nightly just to be sure they’re breathing. Pray, pray, pray. That’s the only way to stop worrying.

I also tell my creative writing students constantly that they need to create characters I care about. If I don’t care about what happens to them, why should I keep reading?

Congrats Joe! Great read.

Wonderful news, Joe! I bet your emotions were never so close to the surface! When I care for little ones I try not to think about “the worst that could happen”. Instead I pray constantly for a guiding hand over mine, for patience, for lots of ways to show love. It’s true that our story characters are as real as our babies. We need to give them “good parenting”!

Congratulations!! Don’t worry… I took about 4 months off writing right after having a baby but since then have been ridiculously prolific 😉 Give yourself permission to slow down a bit and enjoy your new baby. I’m wishing you all the best!

Great article! Congrats on your new baby. He’s gorgeous. I can relate… babies do take a lot of time. It gets easier, though. Mine is seven now. She still takes a lot of time, but she’s a lot more independent now. I have more time for myself.

Congratulations. What a beautiful boy. And I love this post. Being a parent teaches us so much. Believe me you’ll never stop asking those important questions as you raise your children and even after they’ve grown and left home. That you relate creating a character to parenting is brilliant. Thank you and I wish you and your family all the best.

Hi Joe! My own kids have had me going in all directions these past months and as a result I haven’t written hardly a thing. But these phases come and go, a time for everything, and I still read my Write Practice updates whenever I get the chance. Anyway, I wanted to come out of Lurkville to send you and your wife a huge CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a beautiful baby, what happy news. And don’t forget…sleep when the baby sleeps! 🙂

Congratulations Mr. Joe. Though I do not yet have a babe of my own, I have helped raise those around me, including my sisters, and know the joys they can bring (as well as the many sleepless nights). This practice is written in honor of your baby boy, to show the light that shines through with the birth of a child.

We huddle around her emaciated frame, trying to muffle her screams of agony and murmuring soft words of encouragement. I am kneeling at the foot of the bed, a stolen garment waiting in my hands.

The women’s once long, beautiful raven black hair now can only be seen in occasional tufts on her scruffy head. Her once sparkling brown eyes now stare back blankly at us. The black and white striped is hiked up to her waist to prevent it from becoming bloody (which would alert the guards for sure) and the two women at her sides squeeze her hands in an attempt to give comfort.

“It’s coming!” One of the women whisper excitedly as the crown of the infant’s head appears. “Rivka! Quick, hand me the cloth!”

Handing over the cloth I watch with wide eyes as the women swaddles the baby, whom is staring back up at us, not making even the smallest peep. Suddenly women begin to crowd around us, all yearning to catch a glimpse of the baby.

The mother’s eyes come alive for the first time as she holds her baby close. “Her name,” she says in a soft, rasping voice, “will be Chayah…”

It’s not done.

I always hated the thought of the future. I always asked myself ‘what is the worst thing that can go wrong?’, never anything positive and if I did it usually ended in disaster. So I tried hard not to think of the future at all costs, maybe that explains my life right now. Why it isn’t that great, and why I’m not happy. Since I never once thought of what I would do in a bad situation and tried my hardest to believe everything was going well. Even when it wasn’t.

Looking around at the dirty dishes, the pile of laundry, the babies making a bigger mess of everything and the pigsty that seemed so natural to me now, I felt as if I was being suffocated. This mess would never get cleaned up, not with Joey and the kids just following me and making a bigger mess. It was all so meaningless, it would just get filthy again and I would have to clean it up, by myself, only to repeat the process the next day. I wanted to lie down and sleep, just forget my problems but I had to see the social worker lady today.

I don’t even know why I had too, I don’t abuse my kids. I do everything for them, I cook, clean, listen to them and do everything that a mother needs to do for them. So what if I sometimes don’t wash their clothes, you try washing two adults and five children’s clothing, once a couple weeks is enough and once in a while I just flat out refuse to cook for them. Junior’s old enough now, he can cook for his younger siblings.

Okay maybe I don’t cook and clean but what’s the point? I do however listen to their problems. I know Andrew isn’t doing to well in his P.E. class, Missy likes half the boys in her class, yet she has cooties so they all stay away (which I am extremely thankful for, she’s far too young for that stuff), Andrea loves music, wanting one day to become a famous musician, Junior loves mechanical stuff, and Keith likes fire, which is why is has a stash of matches in his underwear toy box.

I’m a little worried about Keith, he doesn’t seem to care about the risk of getting burned and that scares me so much but he doesn’t listen to me about how he might get very badly burned.

I trudge up the stairs, ignoring the fight that’s going on between Missy and Andrew. That poor boy is getting the stuffing beaten out of him, though I can’t help but feel slightly proud of Missy, she’s a survivor that little one, fought her way through being born prematurely and being a fat happy baby. Still I’ll have to deal with that if it’s still going on when I get back down, the last thing I need right now is for Andrew to go to school with another black eye. He’s the runt in the family and at school. I should get his father, Joey to teach him how to defend himself but Joey’s to drunk all the time and I don’t think Andrew would actually use it to defend himself. He’d probably just get back at Missy, which I think would be even worse, since she’s only 7 and he’s 11, plus he’s like his father, who has a bully complex. So it’s probably better he’s the runt, he can’t bully other people and maybe by the time he’s older he’ll know what it’s like to be bullied and won’t bully other people, hopefully.

I make my way to my room, passing by the three rooms that the kids share. I wish there could have their own rooms, I know how much privacy matters but we can’t afford it.

Going into my room I notice some singe marks on the wall. I feel faintly sick, thinking of the ways Keith could be badly burned and what happens if he dies. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to banish the thought from my head. I’d hate to admit and I would never admit but Keith is my favorite. He’s my angel with his reddish brown curls that remind me so much of my own mother. He’s the reason I’m still here, I would be gone if it weren’t for him. He’s the reason I get out of bed and still function just so I can here his laugh that comes from his belly and see his dimpled smiles.

I shut the door, making my way over to the closet. I don’t have many nice clothes and the ones I do have are out of fashion or stained but it’ll have to do.

Congratulations Joe! What a beautiful baby. No, it isn’t just you worrying about the worst that could happen! Even though my daughter is now 30 years don’t old (!) I still worry and I try to prevent myself from visualizing scary scenarios. She knows I will be there for her no matter what happens-and actually, that’s all that matters. The only advice I have is: don’t race around doing things when he sleeps-you need to sleep then too. It’s the only way to stave off serious exhaustion. Congrats again!!!

Dear Madeline,

Danny talked to me last night… told me what he thought about kids. He knows that I want kids… and he always says that he’s “cool with it.” We talked about it seriously last night and he told me that he feels like we are in the right place to have kids – we make enough money, we have stable jobs, a decent house – we basically have all the right things set up for us. I find it funny that Danny has the ability to objectify everything – to rattle statistics in the conversations where you would expect it the least. I guess he can’t help it… he spends a lot of his time buried in books, journal articles, studies, etc. Med school kind of brainwashed him, and then lab work kind of took his personality to a whole new level. He loves to make the subjective objective. I used to find it annoying… but now it’s become one of his quirks.

Danny said to me “you haven’t hit 30 yet and so you are at a good age to bear children. Your chances of birth defects are quite low. Besides this, my sperm count is quite high. This should work.”

Madeline… I’m scared… I told Danny about this, but he rattled off more statistics. Sometimes I wonder if this habit of his is really just a shield… I don’t know. I told him that I’m scared of getting post-natal depression. I have had this disease for years, I have fought every episode with drugs – good effective drugs – Antidepressants… but antidepressants and breastfeeding don’t go together. I worry too… maybe I will be a monster if I become a mother. I have a family history of Bipolar Disorder, I have never had a manic episode myself but what if this triggers it – what if I get bipolar disorder – so severe that I’ll be like my mother… the lady who lived in a psychiatric hospital for half of her life. When she was home… she was either high and broke, or depressed – planning or attempting yet another suicide. I don’t know if I feel sorry for her. I still haven’t come to terms with the fact that she’s dead … to be honest, it feels like she’s been in hospital for years. Her past haunts my future.

First of all, congratulations, Joe and to your wife! It’s hard for me to know if having children changes your writing, because I had my first son at 17 and I started writing fiction for children at the same time. They’ve always been inextricably linked in my world. But, it’s real interesting to hear your perspective…

When I had my first baby, I felt that the worse thing that could happen was if something was wrong with her, or she didn’t live. When it was time to nurse her, the nurse came in and told me there was something wrong with the baby and the doctor would explain. I was livid. I made a call to my doctor and left a message of what the nurse had said. He immediately came to my room to reassure me that she would be all right. She had some cysts on her gums and they had to be removed surgically. Her legs were also very crooked and she was “pigeon-toed. He said she was a large baby and I didn’t have room for her and her legs were twisted around each other. He said splints would cure that, but not to expect her to walk until she was two or three. She was put in the splints, and learned to walk at the age of 8 months, with or without the splints. Her legs did straighten out, and she successfully nursed, even after the surgery in her mouth. As she was a 10 month baby, she rolled over in the hospital and did everything early. She loved to climb, and my fear then was that she would get somewhere that she couldn’t return. Once we found her on top of the old piano, sound asleep. My fears were unfounded, until she was a teenager. Butthat’s

nfonded,untilthenaadultadadult,aththat’sththat’s another story

Congratulations Joe. You’ve now crossed over to the dark side. No chage can plunge you deeper or more quickly into adult thinking than having a child, especially while they are very young. Self preservation kicks in and you’re overwhelmed by the delicacy of new life. Wait till he starts looking into your eyes and sees the entire world. I couldn’t help but feel humbled by these frequent engagements, so intense.

Congrats, Joe. It’ll change your life.

I’m kind of late at reading this. Congratulations on your new son. I have 4 grown children and you just brought back a bunch of dramatic questions I have forgotten. Thanks for this post.

Thanks Alice!

congratulations on such a beautiful baby. I really enjoyed how you compared it to suspense writing – you care about the character yet have doubts about their future. Many blessings to you and joy in your parenting journey!

What’s the worst that could happen what really comes to mind maybe you have nothing to say or what it is ain’t so kind you have something on your mind what if you say it poorly hey,maybe it ain’t all that WORST but,it is kinda SQUIRRELY What’s the worst thing that can happen you might not have something to say or when you are done with your WORST youze won’t be hearing horray you’re lost for an answer to really express yourself the issue may not be all that clear at least not the way it’s coming out so bubba,time is of the essence say what you need to say when it’s all said and done WHAT’S THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN, just happened ,hey !!!

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"Desiree's Baby" Essay Sample

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Literature , Women , Chopin , Children , Treatment , Family , Slavery , Love

Words: 1300

Published: 02/17/2020

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‘Desiree’s baby’, written by Kate Chopin, is one of the most anthologized and critically acclaimed short stories of the nineteenth century. First published in the year 1893, the story captures with vivid detail, the societal attitudes that prevailed during the dawning years of that century. It is set in the days where rich, White, plantation owners, had slaves working for them tirelessly, yet did not have the heart or will, to treat the blacks equally, despite the many laws that legally abolished slavery. African Americans were not the only ones, being discriminated and marginalized, but the society of Kate Chopin did not treat women kindly either. Chopin’s stories, like ‘the story of an hour’ and ‘the storm’, mainly deal with a woman’s search of identity. Though brief, her stories conveyed emphatically how the women of the nineteenth century were making sacrifices in the name of family and honor. This essay aims at discussing at length, the author’s use of various literary elements in conveying the story’s main themes – race and gender oppression. The plot of ‘Desiree’s baby’ revolves around a girl called Desiree, who is found as an infant, lying near a stone pillar by Monsieur Valmondé. He and his wife immediately accept the little girl as their own and take her into their family. Growing in the wealthy estate of the Valmondé, with love and affection from her foster parents, Desiree grows up into a beautiful and gentle lady. Years later, standing near the same stone pillar, Desiree is seen by Armand Aubigny, son of a nearby wealthy estate owner, and he immediately falls head over heels in love with her. Monsieur Valmondé clearly explains about her mysterious parentage before marrying her off to Armand, and the two have a dreamy first year of marriage, which is made even more perfect by the arrival of a baby boy. But fate plays its hand, and the baby shows signs of black ancestry. Armand immediately stops seeing his wife in the eye. Saddened by this treatment, Desiree writes to Madame Valmondé seeking her advice, who asks her to come back to the Valmondé estate with her baby. Armand also wishes her to leave, so Desiree leaves, not to the Valmondé estate, but goes in another direction. The ending of the story is the highlight of the entire plot, whereby Armand discovers, it is not his wife who has a black ancestry, but it is he who has a mother with African American ancestry. The two most important themes that come into view throughout the story are racial discrimination and gender stereotypes. Armand’s character in the story acts as a reflection of the antebellum society of that era. Yes, President Lincoln had signed the emancipation act and the civil war was won by the Union forces, but these changes meant little in the ground reality. Blacks were still treated as slaves and not as equals. There are many places in the story, where the author has talked about Armand’s attitude towards the black. Despite the brevity of the story the author has written at length about this characteristic of Armand, which clearly demonstrates that she wanted to throw light on the racial discrimination, which took place during that era. She says “Young Aubigny's rule was a strict one, too, and under it his negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as they had been during the old master's easy-going and indulgent lifetime.” (Chopin, 1893) On other occasion, Desiree says to Madame Valmondé that Armand was so happy with child birth that he is even soft with the slaves. Thus, it is crystal clear that Armand had only contempt and anger towards the slaves, who toiled in his plantations and attended to all his whims and wishes submissively. As James Trotman observes, Chopin employs various symbolisms to explain the treatment of slaves. (Trotmann, 2002) The half nakedness of the quadroon boy, the burn wounds of Negrillon, and the mention about the part of Satan in his dealing with the slaves, all are symbolic representation of the cruel treatment bestowed on the slave community. The half nakedness indicate how the blacks were stripped of their pride and dignity, the burn wounds are allegory to their sufferings, and Satanic dealing represents the attitude of the White conservatives, who showed no humanity or compassion towards their fellow human beings. According to Melissa Adams, Kate Chopin has always criticized the Victorian order of women living content in their domestic sphere and opined that it destroyed their self – realization capacity. She further states, ‘the story of an hour’ was one of Chopin’s strongest anti-marriage message. (Adams, 1999) But we can see that, as far as messages about gender oppression is considered, the ‘Desiree’s baby’ is not too far from the ‘the story of an hour’. Though this story does not make any explicit statements about the freedom a woman gets, when she is released from the marital bond, it clearly throws light on the sufferings of a woman bound in a bond. Though her husband seemed to love Desiree initially, the love evaporated the moment Armand saw the black resemblance of the baby. She is unceremoniously asked to leave her house by her own husband, thus highlighting how fickle the position of a woman in a marriage is. It is explicit that Armand never loved her for the person she is, and cared more about the color of her skin than her heart. Women of that period were considered to be dispensable objects once they threaten the social standing of their husbands. Chopin also uses various metaphors that offer the narrative, an element of foreshadowing. Armand’s attraction towards Desiree is compared with a pistol shot – instinctive and fast. The avalanche and prairie fire, are metaphors used to describe the passion of Armand, that swept Desiree off her feet. The gloominess of the Aubigny estate is another such metaphor, which represents the nature of the Armand’s personality. He has a dark heart, which makes him treat his slaves with cruelty, and cease loving his wife the moment, he nurtures a suspicion about her ancestry. Suspense is another element which keeps the reader engrossed in the story. It starts with Desiree’s parentage. The reader does not know who her parents are, later the reason for the reaction of Madame Valmondé when she first sees Desiree’s baby and for the change in Armand’s treatment towards Desiree keeps the suspense going, and the identity of Armand’s mother heightens the suspense factor of the story. (Gibert, 2005) Though today interracial marriages are common, few writers were daring enough, to touch such sensitive subjects, during the period in which Chopin lived in. Most of her works were met with criticisms during her life time, and due credit was given to her works only after the 1970s, almost a century after her stories were first published. This story, through the character of Armand, reflects sadly on, how the Southern society viewed miscegenation in the nineteenth century. To sum up, it would be appropriate to quote Susan Gubar, who says, “The black baby proves that Armand (in effect the nineteenth century society) defines family not in terms of the reproduction of children but in terms of production of whiteness. (Gubar, 2000)

C. James Trotman. Multiculturalism: Roots and Realities. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2002. Print. Pg. 131 Melissa Adams. The Woman Question Reconsidered: Gender, Race, and Class in the Work of Kate Chopin and Frances Harper. Knox College, McNair Summer Research. 1999. Web. October 15, 2013. Retrieved from departments.knox.edu/engdept/commonroom/Volume/print.doc‎ Teresa Gibert. Textual, Contextual and Critical Surprises in Désirées Baby. 2004/2005. Web. October 15, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/uni/nec/gibert1413.htm Susan Gubar. Racechanges: White Skin, Black Face in American Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. Pg. 209

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