Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin Essay Example

baby's mixed race, which could lead to her downfall. Judging by her looks, she is certain of her white race. She needs someone who can convince Armand of the same, prompting her to write a letter to her mother where she writes, “My mother, they tell me I am not white. Armand has told me that I am not white."

"Urge them to understand that it's a concoction, you must recognize its falseness. I feel my demise is near. I can't withstand such misery" (244). Madame Valmonde responds by offering Desiree and her child a home with her. Despite being unsure of Desiree's true racial background due to her adoption, Madame Valmonde does not place race above love unlike Armand. However, Armand's strong emphasis on racial purity greatly impacts Desiree. With the mystery of her real ethnicity unresolved, Desiree battles self-hatred, abandonment from her husband, and the painful realization that he no longer treasures her or their offspring.

She finds herself trapped in a horrifying dream-like state that her life has descended into. She takes the baby and gets lost in an empty field where both she and the child meet their demise. The responsibility for this family tragedy lies with Armand, his obsession with status and white race driving him to disaster. With Desiree and their child gone, Armand decides to destroy any remaining signs of their existence. He commands his servants to burn all items that once belonged to Desiree and the baby. The last things to be eradicated were letters written by Desiree to Armand before they got married.

In the course of sorting through those letters, Armand stumbles

upon one penned by his mother to his father. The letter expressed, “I am grateful to god for managing our lives in a way where our precious Armand will never learn that his mother, who loves him dearly, is from a race that is tainted by the stigma of slavery” (244). Armand's parents were fully aware of the implications on their family reputation, but their overwhelming love for each other made them overlook it, so much so that they decided to keep Armand's race a secret in order to safeguard their family name. Yet Armand failed to extend the same discretion to his own family due to his elevated regard for his status and caucasian identity.

Given Armand's baseless charges and ill-treatment of Desiree due to their biracial child, he is the one who truly carries responsibility for the child's mixed lineage. He should face immense shame. Even though he had it all, he threw everything away because of his excessive focus on racial purity and social reputation. Now, he must endure the disgrace and embarrassment resulting from his alienation of his spouse and their progeny. Any effort to win them back will prove pointless since they have already left him behind. Consequently, whatever once filled him with pride is now gone forever. He knows about his own mixed heritage; therefore society would no longer view him as a suitable plantation proprietor.

Armand's high regard for race and status has led him to push everyone away, causing unintentional self-destruction due to his misplaced values. His misplaced emphasis on these intangible concepts resulted in the ruination of his family and his own reputation. Had

Desiree not subscribed to Armand's high esteem for race and social status, she and their baby might have chosen to live with Madame Valmonde instead of tragically taking their own lives. Through Armand's character, Chopin imparts an important message about the need to prioritize what truly holds value.