Desiree?s Baby? (By Kate Chopin) Essay, Research Paper
`Question: Explore
the social and emotional pressures on Desiree that led her to kill both herself
and her baby. Introduction: This is a story, which is
set in 1850, about a young married couple that have a child, which is of a
mixed race. There is a confusion of Desiree?s origin causing her to kill her
self and her baby.?? ????????When Armand fell in love with Desiree nothing could stop
him not even her origin this was odd as the only thing that made Armand hate
her in the end was her origin. It says that his love ?swept like an avalanche?.
This meant nothing could stop his love for her. When he saw her one-day he fell
in love with her as if ?struck by a pistol? it also says ?this was the way all
Aubigneys fell in love?. But he did not love her before. Monsieur Valmonde also
reminded Armand ?that is, the girls obscure origin? but Armand did not care.
Also that she was nameless but ?what did it matter about a name when he could
give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?? So Armand and Desiree
get married. Plus he loves his child and Desiree so much doesn?t even punish
the slaves because of his happiness. ????????? Madame Valmonde had
not seen the baby and Desiree for four weeks. When she saw the child she said
?this is not your baby?. I think this is because Madame Valmonde recognised it
had black ancestry from either Desiree or Armand. Where as Desiree and Armand
are with the baby alot of the time. Desiree takes it the wrong way and says how
much the baby?s grown. Madame Valmonde didn?t move her ?eyes from the child?.
She also moved the baby into lightness this gives us more evidence she
suspected black ancestry in the baby. It says ?she scanned the baby narrowly?.
But then she looked at Zandrine but she turns her head away from Madame
Valmonde. This obviously means she suspects it to but wants to deny it. Other
people that I think that recognised are the slaves because they would be happy
after the way that Armand treats them. So someone like Zandrine could have
spreaded it around to all the other slaves. It also odd because Armand loved
his child but when he finds out that he son has black ancestry he hates him and
I cruel to the other slaves. ????????? One day Desiree awoke
and found ?there was something menacing her peace?. Armand manner also changed.
She was afraid to ask him why. When he spoke to her ?it was with averted
eyes?.? This equaled ? the old
love-light seemed to have gone out?. He also avoided her and the baby. The ?very spirit
of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves?.
Desiree is miserable enough to die, which is ironic because it?s like she
already knew about him hating her for her origin. He was in this manner because
I think he recognised the baby?s black ancestry and will not tolerate it?s him
but blames it on Desiree but he shouldn?t have reacted like that but that?s my
opinion but I guess it was differrent then. ????????? That day she realized a change in
her husband manner, an ?air of mystery among the blacks; unexpected visits from
far off neighbours? this could be liked by the slaves spreading the truth about
Desiree?s baby. She really realized when she was sitting in her room watching
her baby get fanned by the quadroon boy. Her eye?s ?had been fixed absently and
sadly upon the baby. Then she realized and cried of pain but didn?t know she
was. She ?looked from her child to the boy stood beside him, and back again
over and over. When she realised her ?blood turned like ice in her veins? and
?clammy moisture gathered up on her face?. After all this happens Armand walks
in, She went to him asking to look at their son. ????????? When Desiree tries to talk to him about the baby he is
very defensive and not sympathetic to her. She didn?t blame him and ?clutched
his arm? but Armand thrust her arm away. She doesn?t know what to do and he
isn?t helping her. When she spoke to him her voice must have stabbed him.
Armand makes it very clear it was her fault. He says ?the child is not white
your not white?. He kept on blaming her of having black ancestry and she denies
everything but Armand is on the positive side, as she doesn?t know her origin.
Even though she tries to write a letter to her mother finding out her origin.
Her mother wrote back saying what she didn?t want to hear. But on the other
hand Armand also has dark skin but it isn?t taken so seriously. He is also
angry about the ?unconscious injury she had bought upon the home and his name?.
She has been hit to hard to go on so she walks out the door wishing he called
her. But there was no reply. That was it she just had to take the baby and
runaway. She tried everything she can even though he is the one with black
ancestry.????????
When Desiree sends the letter to her mother the reply says come home we
love you so that could be one option but I think she wouldn?t take it as it
means she would have to live with the guilt. The other option would be to stay
away from everybody and start a fresh life. Do what she did kill herself and
the baby but that would be stupid after Armand finds out that he is the one
with black ancestry. She could have gone away for a while and come back but
finds Armand apologizing to her.Conclusion: I think Desiree kills
herself and the baby because firstly she doesn?t know her origin, and Armand
would never believe it is him. Armand and her mother plus the slaves knew her
child had some black ancestry she might have felt alone knowing everyone else
knew except her. Her husband is also to blame for this, because if he wasn?t so
harsh to her and sorted it out properly instead of blaming her, then they would
have found the letter and she would despise him. ????????
She could have gone to her mothers but she would still have to live with
the guilt. But if she only killed the baby it wouldn?t remind her about what
happened. She also could have ran away, but the problem would still be the same
as going back to home. She also could have let Armand cool down after those
weeks when he finds the letter. But she didn?t know he would find it plus the
shame of going back. ????????
I was very shocked at what she done, but I guess living in that time
when society was like that it would be hard living after thinking you are
black. I still think she shouldn?t have killed herself, but just start a fresh
life. But I feel for her more towards the end because when Armand finds the
letter after everything that?s happened to Desiree was all not true and Armand
was the one that should have killed himself. Desiree isn?t the one to be blamed
for bringing injury on the home and his name but he finds he was the one
bringing shame to his name. Even her mother didn?t know Desiree origin so she
felt she must have been the one.????????????? ????????
The only part where I think Desiree was to blame is when she killed
herself I don?t think she should have done that. But on the other half it
wasn?t any of her fault. It was Armand, his mother, her mother and the baby. ????????
The other people I feel that were responsible would have to be Armand
firstly as the grief he puts her through. Plus he was the one with black
ancestry at the end. Also Armand?s mother and farther because they did not let
him know he had black ancestry because then none of this would have happened.
But that would also have changed his life he could have been a slave. But they
did write the letter so they wanted him to know but they didn?t think how their
grandchild would turn out. Desiree?s mother is also to blame abit because she
didn?t tell Desiree what she wanted to hear in the letter, because she could
have lied. This probably meant even Desiree?s mother thought she had black
ancestry this is why she doesn?t mention it in the letter, and just says how
much she loves Desiree. Even the baby is partly to blame as if he was never
born they wouldn?t have suspected one of them to have black ancestry. ????????
I think the most responsibility lies on Armand because he never thought
once it could be him with the black ancestry. Plus he just kept on blaming her
but really it was him. Even though Desiree points out his skin colour is darker
than his. But he is just blaming her all the way through so I feel he should be
blamed for being most responsible for her death.Slavery:-Slavery started in 1859,
the slaves were mainly black people from Africa that were imported on ships
from Africa to America and England. Usually the rich people that lived in these
countries would have the black people as their slaves. They usually worked on
the plantations, but the fairer slaves use to work in the house because their
skin colour was close to white. They were not treated nicely and were branded
with their owner?s initials. But luckily for them slavery was abolished in ???????????????