Desiree's Baby

Short Story: Desiree's Baby

Author: Kate Chopin

Analysis&Quote:

Quote:“He was reminded that she was nameless.”

I think this line sums up everything Chopin is trying to say about class and how class is determined. When I read this line, I started writing notes and as I read along I was able to see between the lines. To me this quote is related to how class is determined. In class, we discussed what factors contribute to the determination of class. There are three main factors that Chopin uses throughout the short story while also adding race and gender into the mix.

The first factor is where you live. If you are wealthy you live in a place with a name. Madame Valmonde lived in Valmonde, Aubignys lived in L’Abri, and there is another place called La Blanche. If you don’t live in a well-known place it can even diminish you as a person. For example, Zandrine is the nurse maid, which is respectable position, but we don’t know where she’s from. Yet, the little quandroon boy who is nameless is told to be from La Blanche. Why is it that Zandrine with a higher position and name doesn't have an origin but the nameless boy does?

Your background or family origin is also an important factor. Desiree was a nameless blank state that Armand could paint on. Since she didn't come from anywhere in particular, he could make her whatever he wanted her to be. But we could also say that background doesn't matter because of the second paragraph in the story. Madame Valmonde hears all the whispers but doesn't care and adopts the girl because she is a blessing from God. Yet, if origins don’t matter then why wasn't Desiree at least given Valmonde’s last name? It can be presumed that she wasn't given a last name because Armand could, “give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana.” If origins and family background weren't important she would have been given their last name from the moment she was adopted. Were they afraid her past would catch up or something worse?

In addition to origin and background being a determination of class, Chopin also seems to comment on the old wealthy class versus new wealthy class. Armand is young Aubignys while his father is old Aubignys. In class, we discussed how attitudes and manners are passed down by class but this may not always be true. Old Aubignys is described as easygoing and having made the slave’s lives easier so that they were “gay.” Young Armand Aubignys is a militant and strict ruler. They don’t have the same views towards blacks and how they should be treated even though they are father and son.

Even more, Chopin demonstrates how gender and personality can be a contributing factor to not only determining class but staying in it as well. Desiree is infantilized throughout the story. Madame Valmonde is “holding her in an instant tenderly in her arms”. Desiree is describes her baby with a childlike innocence noting how he has “real fingernails”. She “tottered” to Armand in their bedroom and only lives to make Armand happy. This makes it easy for Armand to dominate her. Another interesting point is how Armand didn't have a mother figure long in his life, and Desiree didn't have much of a father figure. (I say this because her adoptive father is only shown finding her and then arranging the marriage deal.)

This is the perfect combination for a male-dominated romantic relationship. The house also reflects the relationship and domination between Armand and Desiree. A house is traditionally a woman’s domain, but it is introduced without having a woman’s touch. Not to mention it sounds sad and rugged in appearance. This is the first blow to Desiree having any type of power.

Then the trees are described. “Big, solemn oaks grew lose to it, and their thick-leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall.” In a natural form, they mimic the pillars that shadowed Desiree where she was saved both times by men. Not only is Desiree infantilized, but she has no sort of power over herself, her baby (I say this because the baby only makes her happy if the baby makes Armand happy), and any physical place. This makes it hard for her to try to be on her own while still remaining in the same wealthy class.

Chopin also discusses how you spend your wealth as a determination of class. Armand is able to buy Desiree a corbeille from Paris, a nurse maid from an exotic location, a mahogany bed, and silk and lace gowns. He has enough wealth to buy all of these luxurious items for her. But his greatest display is that of his son, but soon he finds no joy in displaying him.

In this short story, we see race as a determination of class. When Armand found out the baby was partially back he turned cold to his baby and his wife. (What I also found strange was how he immediately blamed Desiree for the baby’s blackness even though she noticed it can’t be. “Look at my hand; whiter than yours Armand.”) Black people are shown as slaves in the field working until sunset, and obviously are of a lower class. The wealthy are depicted as white or presumed to be white.

Chopin explores class, race, and gender in a unique way I could have never thought of. It reminds me of Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhyss which explores race, class, and gender. I did not expect to get so much out of this close reading because I wasn't sure if I could analyze well enough to find anything. By reading between the lines and remembering how we did it in class helped me discover what Chopin was saying in Desiree’s Baby.