AMERICAN LITERATURE

American Literature

Name

Institution

Course

Professor

Date

Week 2 Discussion

Kate Chopin
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Kate Chopin analyzes a character who has a limited role in society of being excluded

from the American Dream. The character pushes against the boundaries that society has imposed

on her. Désirée Valmondé is a baby who has been abandoned, and other individuals have

adopted her. However, it is unknown where she originated.

Her skin color is white, and the Valmondé family raises her. She enjoys the privileges of

becoming the wife of a plantation owner who is unknowingly Black.

The obscurity in origin means that she was a nameless person considering she was found

on the streets. Inequalities exist between gender, whereby Désirée is treated as a possession

despite being White (Owleyes.org, n.d.). She is a controllable object, and her husband burns her

possessions in a bonfire since their child has turned out Black.

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Armand blames her for the child’s skin color and disowns her. He then instructs a dozen

manual laborers to burn her gloves, bonnets, lace, and silk gowns as he watches. It shows a

stereotype toward women and the beauty they possess. Later, Armand finds a letter from his

mother to his father, revealing that she was Black.

It means that Désirée’s baby has a Black person’s skin complexion because of her

husband rather than the woman he divorced. She is vindicated in the end with the news, and this

hurts Armand. Despite losing all the wealth and being abandoned at an early age, she receives

her reward with the letter.

Maia Kobabe

Maia Kobabe is an autobiography of the character telling a child who is denied the

American Dream by being assigned female at birth. At first, Maia does not confront any gender

stereotypes but does not want to be identified as female. Maia is attracted to girls and boys and

wonders if sexuality can be determined as bisexual. People continue to question the character

concerning their identity, and there is an agony that follows the questioning. Maia once snatches

a ball from a boy and ran away. The boy asks Maia if the gender was male or female. At another
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point on a beach, the character’s father takes off his shirt to wade, and Maia does the same

(Redgoldsparkspress.com, n.d.). What follows is scolding from boys and girls, saying that the

character took off the shirt like a boy. Maia does not feel that it was wrong to do so. The

character is vindicated by joining the Queer-Straight Alliance and has continued on the same

course throughout the lifespan.

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References

Owleyes.org. (n.d.). Désirée's baby. Retrieved from https://www.owleyes.org/text/desirees-

baby/read/desirees-baby-1#root-219756-1.

Redgoldsparkspress.com. (n.d.). Gender Queer: A memoir. Retrieved from

https://redgoldsparkspress.com/projects/6926504.