Racism And Slavery In Desiree's Baby By Kate Chopin
Desiree’ Baby
“Desiree’s baby” is a short story written in late 1892 by Katherine Chopin about racism and slavery, and the effects it has on the development of individual’s personality.
According to Tonette Inge and Grant, Katherine Chopin was a half Irish half creole author born in 1851, in St. Louis, in a rich, aristocratic family. She received her formal education at the Academy of The Sacred Heart in St. Louise, her main interests being music, reading, and writing. She was fluent in French and German and enjoyed reading in the original languages whenever possible, although her passion was writing. (Web) “Desiree’s baby” is a story of a young woman who was adopted by a wealthy family after being abandoned at their gateway. Desiree …show more content…
Our character, Armand, feels that his slaves are his property and treats them very badly. Unlike his father who was more indulgent to the slaves, “Young Aubigny’s rule was a strict one, too, and under it his Negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as they had been during the old master’s easy going and indulgent lifetime.”
Although he seems to get better after he marries Desiree, he soon goes back to his old rules when he realizes that his wife must have black ancestry and that she caused damage to his name by giving birth to a child that has mixed-blood. He starts treating her same as his slaves, embarrassing her by saying she is equal to his octorron mistress, La Blanch. Miner suggests that Armand insists upon a wide gap between positions of power and powerlessness; he assumes determinative power over his wife and children, deciding who bears his name, which belongs to his family. (Miner, …show more content…
"“Textual, Contextual and Critical Surprises in ‘Désirée’s Baby’”." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 170. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.roup, 2001. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
Inge, Tonette Bond, and William E. Grant. "Katherine Chopin." American Short-Story Writers, 1880-1910. Ed. Bobby Ellen Kimbel and William E. Grant. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 78. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013
Korb, Rena. "Critical Essay on 'Désirée 's Baby '." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
Miner, Madonne M. "Désirée 's Baby: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. McMahan Elisabeth, Day Susan, Funk Robert, Coleman Linda. “Literature and the writing process”. Ninth Edition 2011. Print
Toth, Emily. "Kate Chopin and Literary Convention: 'Désirée 's Baby, '." in Southern Studies 20.2 (Summer 1981): 201-208. Rpt. in Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb.
“Desiree’s baby” is a short story written in late 1892 by Katherine Chopin about racism and slavery, and the effects it has on the development of individual’s personality.
According to Tonette Inge and Grant, Katherine Chopin was a half Irish half creole author born in 1851, in St. Louis, in a rich, aristocratic family. She received her formal education at the Academy of The Sacred Heart in St. Louise, her main interests being music, reading, and writing. She was fluent in French and German and enjoyed reading in the original languages whenever possible, although her passion was writing. (Web) “Desiree’s baby” is a story of a young woman who was adopted by a wealthy family after being abandoned at their gateway. Desiree …show more content…
Our character, Armand, feels that his slaves are his property and treats them very badly. Unlike his father who was more indulgent to the slaves, “Young Aubigny’s rule was a strict one, too, and under it his Negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as they had been during the old master’s easy going and indulgent lifetime.”
Although he seems to get better after he marries Desiree, he soon goes back to his old rules when he realizes that his wife must have black ancestry and that she caused damage to his name by giving birth to a child that has mixed-blood. He starts treating her same as his slaves, embarrassing her by saying she is equal to his octorron mistress, La Blanch. Miner suggests that Armand insists upon a wide gap between positions of power and powerlessness; he assumes determinative power over his wife and children, deciding who bears his name, which belongs to his family. (Miner, …show more content…
"“Textual, Contextual and Critical Surprises in ‘Désirée’s Baby’”." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 170. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.roup, 2001. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
Inge, Tonette Bond, and William E. Grant. "Katherine Chopin." American Short-Story Writers, 1880-1910. Ed. Bobby Ellen Kimbel and William E. Grant. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 78. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013
Korb, Rena. "Critical Essay on 'Désirée 's Baby '." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
Miner, Madonne M. "Désirée 's Baby: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. McMahan Elisabeth, Day Susan, Funk Robert, Coleman Linda. “Literature and the writing process”. Ninth Edition 2011. Print
Toth, Emily. "Kate Chopin and Literary Convention: 'Désirée 's Baby, '." in Southern Studies 20.2 (Summer 1981): 201-208. Rpt. in Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Feb.