The Significance Of Events In “Desiree’s Baby”

977 Words4 Pages
My goal when it comes to writing this paper is to analyses the story “Desiree’s baby”, and inform the reader about of the symbolic and ironies mentioned throughout the story. The story “Desires baby” is a short story mainly centering its plot on human relationships and racial issues. The story takes place in the mid nineteenth century on two Louisiana plantations before the Civil War. One of the main characters in the story Desiree was abandoned as an infant and left at the gates next to a pillar at the childless Valmonde residence. She was adopted and raised by the Valmonde family, but the big mystery was no one in the town knew where she came from or why she was left abandoned. By the age of eighteen Desiree is described by the narrator as, “beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere young lady “. Also at the age of eighteen Desiree is now married to a man named Armand Aubigny with a child of her own. Armand is a very demanding person and strives for the superiority of his Caucasian race over the African American race. He comes from, ''one of the oldest and proudest families in Louisiana” stated by the narrator. Armand in the beginning of the story is not at all concerned that Desiree being nameless, because she was beautiful through his eyes and was proud for her to bare his last name. Armand runs two southern slave driven plantations in which he rules his slaves strictly. Desiree and Armand are both pleased with the child when born. Armand in the story is said to be so happy and delighted that he doesn’t punish his slaves anymore. Three months later when the child is starting to show more racial features Armand’s attitude changes. Armand believes that the child “belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery”. He is outraged and believes the child received his African American blood from his mother. Armand remembers Desiree was nameless at
Open Document