Kate Chopin’s short story, Desiree’s Baby, (Kate Chopin, pg 359-363) tells about the life of Desiree from both a historical and cultural perspective, as well as showing the personal impact her situation had on her. It is necessary to understand the political and social atmosphere in which this story takes place in order to have any understanding of why the main characters react as they do when the story unfolds.
Desiree had been deserted as a toddler and had been “adopted” by Madam Valmonde. Eighteen years later she is seen by Armand Aubigny and he falls in with her. They marry despite Desiree’s unknown origin and have a son. As the baby grows it becomes apparent that he is of African-American descent. This causes Armand to reject Desiree and the baby.
Despair causes Desiree to leave with the baby. ” She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou; and she did not come back again” (Kate Chopin, pg 362). Later Armand discovers a letter from his mother to his father acknowledging that the baby’s heritage had been passed down from her and therefore Armand.
Kate Chopin wrote this story shortly after the Civil War. African-Americans were barely considered to be human. Women stayed at home raising children. There was a hierarchy in society with white men on the top rung and women, then African-American men, then at the bottom African-American women.
It is interesting that Armand chose Desiree to marry. The fact that Desiree doesn’t know anything about her background serves to protect Armand’s genetic past. It is also interesting that the “blame” for the baby’s obvious genetics is automatically assigned to Desiree. This is a multi-faceted fact. It had to do with women’s roles at the time, but also the social standing of Armand and Desiree as a couple. Due to the cultural atmosphere of the time a woman’s word, especially under the circumstances, would never even be considered against the word and standing of her husband. This is despite that Desiree pointed out to her husband, “Look at my hand; whiter than yours, Armand” (Kate Chopin, pg 362).
To show how deeply prejudice was ingrained in the culture of the time, Armand totally fell out of love with Desiree when he suspected the “tainted” blood came from her. Even if Armand had been subconsciously aware of his heritage, his class and training had taught him that what was different in others was to be hated and feared. He treated his slaves and then his wife badly due to those beliefs. Madam Valmonde’s statement to Desiree , “Come home to Valmonde; back to your mother who loves you” accentuates the loss of Armand’s love (Kate Chopin, pg 362).
After Armand finds out that he had passed the bloodlines he so hated to his son, he doesn’t search for Desiree and their child, he doesn’t seem to mourn their loss either. He does, however, burn anything and everything related to his wife and son. It is difficult to tell whether he did this out of guilt, self-preservation, or both. Armand does not go to Madam Valmonde and confess his mistake. Again his motive is not clear, but still his inaction shows that whatever his original purpose, he is not so torn up by guilt that he is willing to expose his genetics to public scrutiny.
Kate Chopin’s use of irony in the story is a particularly effective tool she uses to point out the various aspects that the prejudice is unfair to the characters in her story. If Desiree had been of mixed race then she could have been considered by some as the unwittingly wrong heroine. With Armand being the source of the suspect blood, Desiree becomes totally the victim. No matter your point of view, Armand is both victim and perpetrator since he blames Desiree for something that came from him and then chooses to hide what he had done.
The historical and culture of the time period is essential to understanding the nature and nuances of Kate Chopin’s story. Although prejudice and sexism are still alive and well today, the degree has decreased to the point to make the story less meaningful when viewed through recent societal views. Relating to the characters on an emotional level reinforces the points of the story and the mood of the time. Understanding history through the personal experiences of the characters involved makes history seem more real and personal than just reading dates and facts.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. “Desiree’s Baby.” 1893. The Heath Anthology of American Literature Late Nineteenth Century 1865-1910. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. 359-363
