Brooklyn College Academy

Justin Downes

English 5

10/17/16

The Identity of Desiree's baby

All humans aspire to be unique but act the same as everybody else. This is the dilemma

that human beings all have to face when it comes to identity. The reason for this is because we

want to be accepted into society but conformity has its consequences. Similarly in Desiree's

Baby by Kate Chopin, the author takes the reader back to the times of slavery to meet a young

couple happily wedded with a newborn baby. Just after the baby's birth, its skin color causes

Armand, the Husband, to destroy his family, deny his heritage and lose his loved ones. Why,

because of the babies race, which it had no control over, was unacceptable. The consequences

Armand faced were all because of his urge to conform which served him little good. All in all,

throughout the story, Chopin uses symbolism to show how race can affect ones identity or lack

of in profound ways.

In Desiree's Baby the author conveys the topic of identity which connects to the theme

of race having a profound effect on your identity. Firstly, what is identity? According to

Webster's dictionary, an identity is "the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or

group different from others". In the story, the evidence of this is shown when the narrator states,

He [Armand] thought Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him; and felt,

somehow, that he was paying Him back in kind when he stabbed thus into his wifes soul
(Chopin 3). This quote is representing how Armond felt when he found out that his baby was

black. Additionally, it shows how his preconceived notions of the black race are negative and

dirty and how he hates his own son because of this. The main reason he hates his son for being

black is because that puts a stain on his reputation and family name which are intimately

connected to the identity of Armand. Another instance where the author further develops the

theme of your race affecting your identity is shown when the narrator describes One of La

Blanches little quadroon boyshalf naked too stood fanning the child slowly with a fan of

peacock feathers (Chopin 2). In other words, we see that the quadroon boy or a black boy slave

is forced to do menial work and arduous jobs just based on the merit of his skin color. His

identity of the quadroon boy was given to him by someone else (Armand) just because he was

black and so this made him a slave and inferior in his eyes. The quadroon boys were also

Armand's sons with a slave and they were not accepted as legitimate heirs because they were

black with a black mother.

The idea that your race affects your identity is symbolized all through the story. A first

example is The roof came down steep and black like a cowl, reaching out beyond the wide

galleries that encircled the yellow stuccoed house. Big, solemn oaks grew close to it, and their

thick-leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall(Chopin 1). This quote symbolizes

the metaphorical darkness and secrets that loom over the family and the fact that the baby is

actually black. It also refers to the fact that it represents the race of the mother who actually was

supposed to take care of this house, who was also black. This relates to identity because it relates

to the skin color of the child and the family members were in the literal dark about the matter.
Another time the author uses symbolism to convey the theme is when the narrator states Dsire

was little more than a baby herself; when Monsieur in riding through the gateway of Valmond

had found her lying asleep in the shadow of the big stone pillar(Chopin 1). In connection to the

theme, it can be inferred that Desiree is black. The reason we can assume this is because her

origins are unknown.

There are many ways in this story where the other characters were affected by the racial

tensions and prejudices of the slavery times. For example, the slaves because of their identity got

treated with cruelty because of the fact they were black. The narrator states Young Aubignys

[Armands] rule was a strict one, too, and under it, his negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as

they had been during the old masters easy-going and indulgent lifetime. (Chopin 1). All things

considered, this is an example of how your race can be seen as different things to different

people but it still impacts you. For the slaves, their race still played a factor in their life due to the

fact that they were slaves but the old master (Armand's father) did not have the negative

perceptions that his son had and we can see this in the way he treated his slaves. Armond most

likely having a feeling or unconsciously knowing that he was somehow not fully white, put his

self-hate on the slaves and his family. Equally important is the way that his racial views affected

his wife and child's identity. The wife and child by merit of being white were shown a different

side of how race can affect your identity than the slaves. An example of this is shown in this

quote Marriage, and later the birth of his son had softened Armand Aubignys imperious and

exacting nature greatly. This was what made the gentle Dsire so happy, for she loved him

desperately. When he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no
greater blessing of God. But Armands dark, handsome face had not often been disfigured by

frowns since the day he fell in love with her (Chopin 2). Of course this shows that Armand

treats his wife differently than the black mistress LaBlanche because of her skin color. In this

instance, her skin color is an advantage for her because it signals higher status and class. She gets

to live the life of luxury with Armand because of her skin color. Later on in the story, though she

is exiled from his home due to an assumption on Armand's part that she was black. This action is

also a testament showing how weak their love was and that it was really just a figment of the

imagination.

In conclusion, race has a major impact on the identity or lack thereof of any person in

the world. The author uses symbolism such as how Armand treated the quadroon boys horribly

and him kicking his wife out to illustrate this idea. He also showed how when you think

someone's identity changes you treat them differently and this was the case with Armand. The

story shows how people tie their identity around race and discriminate other people because of

theirs.