The Prideful Family In Desiree's Baby By Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby” condemns the character and social flaws that lead to the destruction of a once-happy family.
In the short story, Kate Chopin portrayed the character Armand to be prideful and have impetuous actions, thus leading to the demolishing of a once joyful family. Chopin shows Armand’s impulsive actions in the beginning when Armand falls in love with Desiree saying, “ The passion awoke in that day, when he saw her at the gate, swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire, or like anything that drives headlong over all obstacles.” (Chopin 1).The way he falls in love with Desiree foreshadows and explain his instant hate for her once he believes that she is the one cursed with the black heritage.When …show more content…
The reader can start to feel this child like attitude Desiree has in the beginning when Madame Valmonde thought that “it seem[ed] but yesterday that Desiree was little more than a baby herself”(Chopin 1). This sentence foreshadow and hints at Desiree's thoughts and actions being based on what others think of her. One example of this is how she lets Armand decide her happiness. In the story it states, “when he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater blessing of God” (Chopin 1). As it says in the quote Desiree based her joy on Armands actions and feelings. This relates to the end of the book when she leaves the town and is never being seen again leading the reader to believe she died or went into hiding; Desiree possibly killed her and the baby because Armand assumed and she could not live with others thinking badly of her. Another example of this is when she writes her mom asking her to deny that she was black but when her mother wrote back saying, "My own Desiree: Come home to Valmonde; back to your mother who loves you. Come with your child” (Chopin 2). Which shows that Madame Valmonde also thought that Desiree was black. The reader can infer that because of two people's assumption that she was black, Desiree started to feel low in worth leading her to possibly kill herself. These examples in the story show that Desiree was dependent on others inside of being self
In the short story, Kate Chopin portrayed the character Armand to be prideful and have impetuous actions, thus leading to the demolishing of a once joyful family. Chopin shows Armand’s impulsive actions in the beginning when Armand falls in love with Desiree saying, “ The passion awoke in that day, when he saw her at the gate, swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire, or like anything that drives headlong over all obstacles.” (Chopin 1).The way he falls in love with Desiree foreshadows and explain his instant hate for her once he believes that she is the one cursed with the black heritage.When …show more content…
The reader can start to feel this child like attitude Desiree has in the beginning when Madame Valmonde thought that “it seem[ed] but yesterday that Desiree was little more than a baby herself”(Chopin 1). This sentence foreshadow and hints at Desiree's thoughts and actions being based on what others think of her. One example of this is how she lets Armand decide her happiness. In the story it states, “when he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater blessing of God” (Chopin 1). As it says in the quote Desiree based her joy on Armands actions and feelings. This relates to the end of the book when she leaves the town and is never being seen again leading the reader to believe she died or went into hiding; Desiree possibly killed her and the baby because Armand assumed and she could not live with others thinking badly of her. Another example of this is when she writes her mom asking her to deny that she was black but when her mother wrote back saying, "My own Desiree: Come home to Valmonde; back to your mother who loves you. Come with your child” (Chopin 2). Which shows that Madame Valmonde also thought that Desiree was black. The reader can infer that because of two people's assumption that she was black, Desiree started to feel low in worth leading her to possibly kill herself. These examples in the story show that Desiree was dependent on others inside of being self