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esiree’s Baby was one of Kate Chopin’s (1851-1904) first and most
famous short stories.
In this story, Chopin explores the theme of race
more strongly than in any of her other works.
Desiree is married to Armand, who owns a plantation and many African-
American slaves that work on it. This was typical in
the southern United States
at that time. Black people were brought to America, primarily from Africa, as
slaves and consequently bought and sold like property. White people viewed
African-Americans
as an inferior race, and it was shameful for a white person to
have “mixed blood,” as would result from having parents of unequal races.
This explains Desiree’s concern after realizing that her son had black
characteristics. When Armand told Desiree that “the child is not white” and that
“you
are not white,” he was referring to more than skin color. He meant that his
wife and child were inferior and were no longer acceptable to him.
This rejection was more than Desiree could bear, and she felt it was better
to die than to live in such disgrace. When she walked away, the bushes tore her
white gown, symbolizing that she was no longer a white person.
When Armand discovered the baby’s
mixed blood
came not through Desiree but through his own mother,
he had already lost his wife and son, and his life was
destroyed.
One critic noted that Armand was as much a slave
to his racial views as the real slaves that he controlled.
“No real distinction
based on color can be made
between slave and master.”
