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 ???????????????