This is a short story by Kate Chopin and where the writer displays some sense of fortune or destiny and consequences. Basically this story is about pride and the effect it has on a man’s wife as well as his race. To the root of the story is the objective to evaluate why Armand’s pride came in the way, interfering with the love for his wife Desiree and as well how race altered things. The historical set up of the story is an era of slavery despite the fact that it was written back in 1892 which is many years after the abolishment of slavery. (Chopin Kate, 1892)
In assessing the attitudes towards race in this short story while identifying how many of those attitudes still prevails, this paper will employ the cultural studies theory. This theory seeks to put more emphasis on the manner in which a particular aspect or subject does affect the social class, the beliefs, ethnicity as well as nationalities. (Roots to Branches, 2007)
In this short story, Armand is presented as to being a slave owner in Louisiana and who is a very proud man. All through the story he is depicted as to being an individual who was rich enough in that he had all that one would desire in his time. His family name Chopin was a prestigious one and in this regard he used it to improve his social status to feeling like a King. His pride above all else came first even before his own family due to his notion that the family name and the history behind it was all that did matter and as such had to be protected in each and every way possible. (Chopin Kate, 1892)
The type of relationship and love between the two lovers in this short story can be summarized as to being one that was superficial and at its most basic was manipulated by pride as well as prejudice and this resulted into loss of life and destruction. In the story on one part the love for the wife is not real while on the other hand the love for the baby is founded on family pride for the continuance of family dynasty in the name. According to the society then, having a baby boy was enough credit for one to have pride and be boastful as the family name will continue. (Rosylyn Reso, 1991)
The second issue that arises in the story and that is of more importance to this paper is the issue of race. Considering the fact that Armand had knowledge of his past, he then blamed Desiree to be the reason as to why their baby was mixed. This he also added to the fact the Desiree did not know her biological parents and for this did not as well know her ethnicity, he was of the opinion that her race did affect everything especially now that he was of the assumption she was black.
Desiree physically appeared to be white; she had pale hands and grey eyes. Despite the fact that she had an obscure origin she always thought of herself as not being the source of the problem which is their baby being mixed. This short story demonstrates how race back in the year 1800 affected many people’s lives, for instance in the story after realizing that the baby was mixed things were never the same again. All else changed beginning with Armand’s dispositions and temper as well as Desiree’s cheerfulness and pleasures. (Chopin Kate, 1892)
In this story, as depicted, any individual who had the dark skin or at an extension had dark-skinned relatives was considered as to be from the slavery race and for this belittled in every way. The catch of the story is that all persons who had the dark skin color were naturally born to be slaves and not any other position in the society. Further, the skin color of one’s relatives in the story meant not much that his skin color himself, and this can be demonstrated where La Blanche who is a slave and has a name that means white. Despite the fact that she had white skin, she became a slave simply because her family members were all of the dark skin and in this way slaves. She ends up being used as a point of reference when Desiree disapproves of Armand’s behavior when handling her by pointing out to her white skin.
A representation of the racial views at the time is as well demonstrated with Armand’s response to the darkening of the baby’s skin. When Desiree realizes that the baby’s skin is slowly darkening she raises these concerns to her husband who dismisses her by saying that this was happening simply because she was not white. He compares her to the white slave La Blanche and in this regard points out to the fact that it is not his love for her that did matter, but the color of her skin and her race did matter more. (Rosylyn Reso, 1991)
An analysis of the turn of events would demonstrate the fact that both the wife and husband in this story were happy until the baby came. Armand had previously been all good to the slaves but not until he then realized that his child was growing to be mixed. The sad turn of events in this story shows Desiree committing suicide due to her husband’s actions towards her.
My argument then in this short story is that without the racial chauvinism and intolerance as well as the indignity that the story breeds it would then have been impossible to have the tragedy of the story unfold. Some of the attitudes that can be identified in the story would include selfishness and individualism and of which to date have continued to be an impediment to having a better society.
At the end of the story, the reader then gets to understand how racism as a device has led to the adverse and division and destruction of a select group of people in the society. And according to the story what Armand did loathe the most do end up to be a part of him and that he is unable ever to get rid of it in his lifetime. In this way the writer uses both irony and racism, Armand tries to erase all that he had left of his wife and baby in the bonfire due to race, but ironically in this act, the contents of a letter bring the whole world down crushing on him.
It can only be concluded that racism evidently did tamper then with human judgment and to this effect, it is depicted as to metaphorically take away the lives of both parties that is the judge and the judged.
Works cited
Chopin Kate Desiree’s Baby
Roots to Branches. Ed. Jeff Wielmelt, Jayetta Slawlson, Natasha Whitton. New York: 2007 360-63
Rosylyn Reso “Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby.” The Explicator 49 1991:221- Literature Resource Center
