Desiree's Baby Identity Essay
Ariel Hershkovitz
Dr. Gabrielle Gutting
Literature 2010
28 January 2016
Identity in Culture Within “Désirée’s Baby”
During the antebellum period in Creole, Louisiana, the significance of identity in a specified culture is a pivotal notion that directly influences an individual’s place in society. Kate Chopin heavily discusses this idea within her short story “Désirée’s Baby” as she emphasizes the negative impact of miscegenation, and one’s struggle to find contentment in regards to familial issues as a result. The story suggests that physical identity is of utmost importance despite any emotional or hereditary connection related to the person. This warped concept of what is and is not accepted in a community is depicted though blatant racism …show more content…
Behavior is greatly influenced by how one sees themselves internally and externally. Judgement is the enemy in a personal and social manner. Madam Valmonde refuses that Desiree's baby is not the kind of child that society will accept. The community is unable to comprehend that both Augbiny and Desiree birthed a black child. Augbiny cannot accept living with a woman who has provided him a baby that he views as disgusting. He pays more attention to what others will think of him rather than the family he created. Fundamentally, his actions are carried by society and not by self-worth. If society does not accept blacks, then he too cannot accept them. He burns everything that belongs to Desiree and her baby so to rid of any evidence that links his private life to the African American race. This shows that he cannot leave behind the ideologies in his white dominated society. Desire too cannot imagine what others will think of her dark baby so she choses to drown with him in a swamp. In the novel Beloved, former slave and mother, Sethe commits a similar crime. She gives birth to a baby during the time in which newborns are taken to be raised as slaves away from her family. However, Sethe decides to sacrifice her child rather than having her endure the brutalities of a humiliating, torturous
Dr. Gabrielle Gutting
Literature 2010
28 January 2016
Identity in Culture Within “Désirée’s Baby”
During the antebellum period in Creole, Louisiana, the significance of identity in a specified culture is a pivotal notion that directly influences an individual’s place in society. Kate Chopin heavily discusses this idea within her short story “Désirée’s Baby” as she emphasizes the negative impact of miscegenation, and one’s struggle to find contentment in regards to familial issues as a result. The story suggests that physical identity is of utmost importance despite any emotional or hereditary connection related to the person. This warped concept of what is and is not accepted in a community is depicted though blatant racism …show more content…
Behavior is greatly influenced by how one sees themselves internally and externally. Judgement is the enemy in a personal and social manner. Madam Valmonde refuses that Desiree's baby is not the kind of child that society will accept. The community is unable to comprehend that both Augbiny and Desiree birthed a black child. Augbiny cannot accept living with a woman who has provided him a baby that he views as disgusting. He pays more attention to what others will think of him rather than the family he created. Fundamentally, his actions are carried by society and not by self-worth. If society does not accept blacks, then he too cannot accept them. He burns everything that belongs to Desiree and her baby so to rid of any evidence that links his private life to the African American race. This shows that he cannot leave behind the ideologies in his white dominated society. Desire too cannot imagine what others will think of her dark baby so she choses to drown with him in a swamp. In the novel Beloved, former slave and mother, Sethe commits a similar crime. She gives birth to a baby during the time in which newborns are taken to be raised as slaves away from her family. However, Sethe decides to sacrifice her child rather than having her endure the brutalities of a humiliating, torturous