“Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin is a powerful story that is intriguing and compelling. As I read “Desiree’s Baby”, I could visualize the time and scenery. This time-period considered being black as socially devastating and the end of the world. The law considered a person with 1/16 of black blood as racially black. The intent was to keep the white race as pure as possible. Nevertheless, it is not easy to recognize 1/16 of black blood by the appearance of skin. Both Desiree and Armand knew being black or a lover of blacks was social suicide among the elite of society.
Others warned Armand about Desiree’s unknown background and origin before he married her. At the time, this did not matter to Armand. His eyes told him she was white and her name did not matter for she was going to receive his proud name.
Armand and Desiree were married and had a child. When Madame Valmonde came to visit, she knew the child was not “pure” white but did not say anything to Desiree. She asked about Armand reactions but offered no motherly advice. I wonder if she chose not to say anything, hoping Armand did not suspect the child was not white. Desiree was so naive in her happiness that she could not see the non-white features of her son. However, everyone else knew something was not quite right.
Desiree realized that Armand was distant and avoiding her and became saddened. In her unhappiness, she opened her eyes to the subtle realization that her son was not completely white. Frantically, she began to seek answers. After Armand rejected her, she turned to her mother. In her letter to her mother, she tells how she would rather be dead than have the burden of being something other than white. Her mother’s letter was brief and supplied no satisfactory comfort.
Desiree turns to Armand hoping he could still loved her. He told her he wanted her to leave, then she concluded her life, and her son’s was not worth living. Moreover, the burden of not being white was too much to cast upon a child so she took him away rather than have one of the slaves raise him.
Armand’s selfishness became increasingly evident. He could only think of his tarnished family name rather then love his wife and his own flesh. After Desiree left, he began burning everything that connected him to her. Here, Armand find a letter from his mother to his father. The letter provided some light or darkness to Armand’s past. He was angry and hurt that Desiree had tarnished his proud family name only to discover that through his mother, he was the tarnished one.
This is a great story that leaves the reader with unanswered questions. I fully recommend this short story to teenagers and young adults. I really enjoyed this story but I found that I was angry with Armand’s parents for deceiving him. Chopin leaves the reader to imagine and wonder about what an epilogue might contain.
