English 101

https://americanliterature.com/author/kate-chopin/short-story/desirees-baby

ANSWER

Introduction

Desiree’s Baby, a story by Kate Chopin, is full of confusion, love, and great irony. The story examines the arbitrary hierarchies of gender, class, and race in the antebellum South. The story was set during the Louisiana plantation to explore racism in every context of society. The story has been narrated by a third-person narrator who offers the reader significant pieces of information. Desiree is an abandoned orphan adopted by the wealthy landowners and later married Armand and owned a neighboring plantation. The story is filled with racism which is extreme after the birth of the baby. In the context of place and time in which the story is set, the extreme reaction about the baby’s appearance seems appropriate. Racism has been deep-rooted in society and led to a division between people of different ethnic groups.

Racism in Desiree’s Baby

The Desiree’s Baby is a story set in the mid-nineteenth century in the own white plantations. The story explored the psychological impacts of racial inequality and slavery. The physical abuse and violence were so much due to the existence of slavery. Armand was one of the controllers and beneficiaries of slaves in the white plantations. He was known for his strict mistreatment of slaves. Armand fell in love with Desiree and produce a baby boy who was their joy for the first few months. During this time, Armand was kinder to the slaves and treated them with tolerance and understanding. Unfortunately, something was wrong with the baby due to his appearance. Armand informed Desiree that the baby is not white and that she is not white. Desiree’s heritage was unknown but was linked to an African-American ancestry passed on to the baby. The discovery was intolerable in the society in which she lived. At one point, Desiree claims that she, along with her baby, is white, but Armand tells her that if they are white, the baby should not resemble the slave kid. Armand’s behavior toward Desiree is weird and cold since he thinks God has done that to punish him.

Desiree becomes upset and does not want to live anymore, but her mother asks her to come home with the child. Desiree leaves and disappears into a field, taking nothing else but the baby with her. A few weeks later, Armand destroys all the possessions and clothes of his wife and the child. However, he finds a letter from his parents revealing his mixed-race percentage written that they are grateful for God’s plan that Armanda will never know that his mother belonged to the cursed race with the brand of slavery. The story clearly shows division and racism among the blacks and whites, which led to Armand rejecting the baby due to a racial heritage.

Personal Reflection

Racism has been majorly based on skin color variation, which has led to some ethnic groups accepting racial discrimination. Racism has been a social construct in people’s minds to accept that white is the superior color. The social construction has influenced the African Americans that now believe they are doomed to be racism victims and are less superior. The social concept has limited the interaction of children from different ethnic groups at a young age. A mixed-race baby cannot be acknowledged and respectable by a white family. Our parents taught us to think in certain ways and have views of specific ethnic groups during my childhood. For instance, we treated the blacks like inferiors due to what we were exposed to while growing up.

Conclusion

In summation, Desiree’s baby shows the degree of racism and slavery that existed during the time. The story shows various examples of how the whites perceived the blacks as inferiors and how they internalized their inferiority, thus leading to racism, morally corrupt ways, and feelings of shame about their identities. The story has explored how racism shapes society and distorts the psychology and lives of the whites and blacks in society.