‘Desiree’s Baby’ by Kate Chopin

The majority of Kate Chopin's works are always about the issues she faced during her lifetime. Many of these problems persist in the United States today. In Desiree's Baby, the poet, Kate Chopin, attempts to depict the racial prejudice and class-based relationships that were prevalent in the antebellum south. Chopin takes the reader through the community importance of family by discussing how people with family were granted precious status in society relative to those who did not have a family through the created love and marriage of Armand and Desiree. Also, the author uses Armand and Desiree's family to show the plight of people without a distinct race or of biracial descent. It is unfortunate that Desiree happens to a victim of both circumstances. Almost at the end of the story, she turns to social isolation to free herself from the emotional and mental stress that her physical state had subjected her. She goes far beyond the bayou where she disappears from civilization. ‘Beyond the Bayou’ is a symbolic metaphor that the author uses to show the border. Desiree loses herself and crosses the border to find a new life for herself (Wolff 126). In the nineteenth century, most societies did not approve of any sexual relations between individuals from different races since it resulted in a generation of, children without roots. Such people were treated as slaves. This is metaphorically symbolized by Desiree’s child. Armand was sure about his race. Desiree, on the other hand, was Caucasian. Both her child and she were considered of no generation because their race was not known. The author also uses this scenario to show how males had power over women during this time. The protective nature of Armand allows her to reject the baby’s race which is unquestionable. He is presumed to be of the European ancestry though Desiree confirms this is not true (Wolff 131). Armand’s biracial descent is covered in the significant part of the story, and the author uses this to show the societal protection of the male symbolically. Desiree is associated with white imagery like “soft white muslin and laces.” In their fight about the child, she confirms that her hands are less dark than that of Armand. On the other hand, Armand is described to have “a dark, handsome face” which is not a surprise when he finally gets the letter confirming the truth about his baby’s African blood. However, he doesn’t know his racial background until Desiree disappear. Armand family had a hate of rae color since it is cursed with the brand of slaverly. This becomes evident immediately when he discovered that their child was black. He refuses to accept them and treats them with contempt (Gale 23). ‘Sweetness’ by Toni Morrison Morrison wrote the short story to symbolically show the struggles of women while raising their children, especially with skin color disabilities. In this story, a girl who is an African American by birth, has her skin much darker than that of her parents. Her mother is immediately horrified and feels ashamed and embarrassed to give birth to the child. However, as the child grows and begins to become successful in life, the mother’s ‘sweetness’ begins to show. She changes how she treated the daughter and regretted most of her previous acts. (Furman 3). Lula Ann’s mother symbolizes mothers in the society who abandon their children in their hour of need. Immediately she gave birth to her; the mother knew that Lula Anne will face exclusion and will be discriminated mainly by the white members of the society. However, she (mother) fails to support her (Lula Anne) and instead feels sorry she even gave birth to her. The story also symbolizes that a person destiny is not defined by the color of their skin. Lula Anne was born black. She faced racial discrimination in her daily life. No one supported here, including her mother. However, she grew to become a successful African American woman that even her mother’s affection towards her changed. Though she has not admitted it anywhere in the story, the mother feels sorry for how she treated her daughter just because she had a different skin color. Tony also uses a narrative voice to symbolize the voice of the mother. The primary goal of the story was to show how racial discrimination can be presented in ways that do not portray the black and white nature of the affected individuals. Instead, the people are mistreated because they look much different from the rest of the people in the society. African-American people suffered a lot because their skin color was never constant. While other had a white color, others like Lula Anne were very dark. According to Gale (23), Tony uses the mother to symbolize the depth of racism. If Lula Anne’s mother could reject her, then the author let the reader wonders what other people in the society did to her. Her family is also broken because of her color. Works Cited Furman, Jan. Toni Morrison's Fiction: Revised and Expanded Edition. Univ of South Carolina Press, 2014. Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Kate Chopin's" Desiree's Baby." Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016. Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Toni Morrison's" Sweetness." Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016. Wolff, Cynthia Griffin. "Kate Chopin and the fiction of limits:" Desiree's Baby." The Southern Literary Journal (1978): 123-133.