Racism In Desirees Baby - 1272 Words

Kate Chopin’s short story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is about racism. Desiree, the main character who does not know her own identity at the beginning, is given a French name that means to be desired. Not only she is desired by her adoptive parents: Madame and Monsieur Valmonde, but also desired by her slave-owning husband Armand Aubigny. Investigating the symbolic spaces and objects associated with Desiree and Armand leads to a comparison of lightness and darkness in the story. The theme of the short story is that racism is one of the fundamental causes of destruction in society, is explored by comparison of lightness and darkness in the story. The first important detail of setting is the ‘quote’ where Desiree was found, on the boundaries of the†¦show more content†¦First, Desiree was found in the front of Valmonde’s plantation â€Å"lying asleep in the shadow of the big stone pillar.† (57) In the first quote, the words such as lying asleep at the stone pillar suggests that she finds comfort and safety beside the gate, similarly to the feeling of home. The stone pillars also suggest strength and support. These words imply that the Valmonde family is her pillar which will be essential to her first eighteen years of life at the plantation. The second time Desiree was discovered in front of the plantation by Armand, â€Å"she stood one day against the stone pillar in whose shadow she had lain asleep.† (57) The difference between the first and second quote is that Desiree stands by the stone pillars and instead of being asleep she seems to be ready to leave the Valmonde family behind. Stone pillars are mentioned again when Armand falls in love with Desiree and this represents that Desiree’s new pillar is Armand. Armand marries Desiree to demonstrate his obligation to marry someone who is white to maintain his position of authority in society. Armand’s presence in La Blanche’s cabin suggests that Armand has a sexual relationship with other women other than Desiree. La Blanche’s is a slave that works on Armand’s plantation and take cares of children. She differs from other slaves on the plantation due to her skin colour which is described by her name, La Blanche. La Blanche means the colour white inShow MoreRelatedRacial And Sexual Discrimination Throughout Desiree s Baby And Society1408 Words   |  6 PagesRacial and Sexual Discrimination Throughout Desiree’s Baby and Society It was a very tough life for many women and blacks during the 19th Century because of the domination of the white men. Their social and economic lives showed the hardships they faced and was a constant reminder of the domination. The social ideology present in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† was a powerful and dangerous force that showed no mercy to any character. A woman with small children who lost her husband would find no support or comfortRead MoreAn Analysis Of Kate Chopin s Desiree s Baby 1705 Words   |  7 PagesThe Outlook of Racism in the 19th Century Written prior to the Civil War and published in 1893, Kate Chopin’s work â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is a short story about miscegenation within a French family living in Louisiana in the late nineteenth century. Miscegenation is defined as the mixture of different racial groups, through marriage or cohabitation, between a white race and a member of another race. Chopin writes this piece of realistic fiction which exposes the issues of society that would not be facedRead MoreKate Chopin s Desiree s Baby878 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin’s â€Å"Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby† Many of Kate Chopin’s short stories deal with women in search of love, self-knowledge, and a sense of belonging, however, in â€Å"Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby† we see a much more apparent theme of miscegeny, slavery, and racism. In her critical essay on â€Å"Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby,† Rena Korb asserts that â€Å"Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby† mainly focusses on a woman seeking only a place of belonging. Upon reading â€Å"Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby† one could come to the conclusion that this story is much more concerned with expressingRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1540 Words   |  7 PagesIn â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† Desiree is an orphaned woman who married her loving husband, Armand, and they are very much in love. In Kate Chopin’s short story is says, â€Å"He was reminded that she was nameless. What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana? (24-26). When t hey finally have a baby, they notice that the child is showing marks that he is a mix of two races. The husband blames the wife because of her unknown past and sends her and the baby awayRead MoreDescrimination of Women Essay938 Words   |  4 Pagesconsidered superior, so men were more important and valuable in the society than women. The stories Desiree’s baby and Trespass are focused the racism and discrimination by men on women. There we can see the both male demonism and racism which are very extremely harass women’s feelings. The both stories â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† and â€Å"Trespass† shows the relationship between men and women in different ways. Desirees Baby is the unfortunate story of a young woman who falls victim to both social and racial inequalityRead MoreDesiree s Baby : Irony1392 Words   |  6 PagesGreta Scalco Scalco 1 Dr. Sabrina Boyer ENG 131- FON01 12/11/2016 Irony in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† Irony existed in real life from immemorial time and will continue to be, therefore, the authors of literary works will continue in the future to use this literary technique in their work to highlight the truths of human society, and readers will continue to be interested in such works in the future. Irony is a comment used to transmit disappointmentRead More Symbolism in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin Essay944 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin Desirees Baby is Kate Chopins most well-known short story and most anthologized piece of work. The story takes place in southern Louisiana and her writing reflects her Creole-French descent. Chopin begins the story with a descriptive quote, when she reached LAbri she shuddered at the first sight of it, as she always did. It was a sad looking place...Big solemn oaks grew close to it and their thick leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it likeRead MoreAn Analysis Of Armand Aubigny s Desiree s Baby 1538 Words   |  7 PagesArmand Aubigny’s Pride in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† by Kate Chopin Through history, we have always yearned independence and equality as human beings. Undoubtedly, Kate Chopin is an extraordinary example She has landed a commendable place among American writers worthy of recognition. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850, Kate was raised by strong women who taught her the value of an education. Her family gave her a revolutionary vision and a feminist personality, but it was her talented and passionate skillsRead MoreDesirees Baby by Kate Chopin Essay1239 Words   |  5 PagesImagine finding out that your entire life was a lie, and that every single thing you knew about your identity and your family was completely false! Armand Aubigny, one of the main characters in Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin, experiences this exact dilemma throughout this short story. Desiree’s Baby is a story about a young man and woman, who fall in love, but Desiree, who does not know her birth parents, is considered nameless. When she and Armand have a child, the y are both very surprised becauseRead MoreThe Concept Of Race In Dà ©sirà ©es Baby By Kate Chopin762 Words   |  4 Pages In her short story named â€Å"Dà ©sirà ©e’s Baby†, Kate Chopin gives readers an inside view of the concept of race in the pre-Civil War era of Louisiana. Chopin’s protagonist, Dà ©sirà ©e, clashes with societal standards because of her mixed-race child and unknown racial origins. Race becomes a major conflict throughout the story and drives Dà ©sirà ©e’s husband to blame her for the child. The ironic ending of the story not only gives a surprising twist but also makes a stand against the concept of biological