Desiree's+Baby

__**Summary:**__
“Desiree’s Baby” is a story set in the bygone days of rich, white plantation owners and poor faceless, black slaves. The narrator explains how Desiree grew from a “nameless” orphan, to a “beautiful and gentle” young lady. It was this same beauty that struck Armand Aubigny like “a pistol shot” and he straight away fell in love with her; despite the dire warnings of her “obscure origins” from her adopted father, he married her. The happy tale of the child that resulted in their union quickly turns somber when an unknown cloud haunts Desiree’s mind. Her loving husband suddenly turns away from his family without reason or warning. In a moment of clarity, Desiree realizes there is something wrong with her son; when she confronts her husband for answers, he bluntly states that she and the child “are not white.” Her protestations to the contrary leave her husband unmoved; he makes it painfully clear that he wants her and the baby to depart his home. Instead of going home like her mother suggests, Desiree’s broken heart lead her and the baby into the “deep, sluggish bayou” from which they never return. Ironically, Armand learns his mother’s deep secret after Desiree is gone; that she “belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery.”

__**Topics:**__
Some of the topics addressed in “Desiree’s Baby” are: love, family, secrets, racism, slavery, suicide, and pride.

**__Evaluation: Note - This evaluation is shorter than what is required. Your evaluation should be 2-3 paragraphs (See the directions)__**
Of all the stories I have had a chance to read, “Desiree’s Baby” is by far my favorite. The light hearted and almost fairy tale-like beginning gives no foreshadowing as to what is going to happen. The suspense that builds as the reader learns there is something “wrong” with the baby almost seems to deflate when we realize that it’s because of his race. In today’s world, where interracial relationships are more common, the fact that a baby would be any less important because it doesn’t appear fully “white” seems a little ridiculous. The fact that Armand’s father hid the fact that his mother was “cursed with the brand of slavery” from his son, and everyone else made the discovery much more shocking. There is so much irony in this story that each time I read it something new pops up. And my enjoyment of the beautiful writing style of Kate Chopin increases with every new discovery.

**__Citation:__**
//Chopin, Kate. “Desiree’s Baby”. Literature and the Writing Process,// Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, Robert Funk, and Linda Coleman. 9th Edition. Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009. 242-245. Print.

= Wiki Part 2 =

__Resources:__

 * Internet Resource**- Information on Kate Chopin

This site, by the Kate Chopin International Society, is very useful because it gives bibliographic information on Chopin. It covers her background and any other historical information that formed her as a writer, but also information about her published works and short stories. It is interactive; guests can ask questions of the experts about her works. This way reader's can gain a better understanding of any points that may have confused them about her literature. It also has numerous links for additional resources concerning Kate Chopin. The best part is that the site has a link to help citing information from the website.

//KateChopin.org//. The Kate Chopin International Society. 2 March 2012. Web. 1 May 2012.


 * Database Resource**- Articles about "Desiree's Baby"

The article, "Chopin's Desiree's Baby" is an academic critique of the short story by Kate Chopin. It takes a more in depth look at Armand's character and how it affects his decisions. The author, R.R. Foy, goes beyond the basics of Armand's surface issues: "Armand's ruthlessness is more psychologically complicated than it appears on first reading. His cruelty toward slaves, and ultimately toward his wife and child, is not simply a product of nineteenth-century racism" (1991, 222). After reading this article, it gives the reader added incentive to look back at the short story and find these new examples of Armand's character. It is hard not to look at "Desiree's Baby" with new eyes once Foy presents this new argument.

Foy, R.R. "Chopin's Desiree's Baby." //Explicator// 49.4 (1991): 222. //Academic Search Premier//. Web. 2 May 2012.