Kate Chopin's short story "Desire's Baby" tells how, Armand, a plantation owner struggles with his own identity through his child. Armand came from a wealthy family from France. Many years after he arrived from Paris he fell in love with Desiree "as if struck by a pistol shot" (Chopin 185). He then marries Desiree and they have a baby boy, this devastated their marriage.
In the beginning of the story, Chopin starts with telling us about Desiree and her baby. She also gives details of the surroundings providing clues that it is indeed a plantation home set in the time of slavery, for example the stone pillar. Chopin tells us that many people visit to see the baby; majority were the colored people in town. Chopin's small detail is very significant in that when a black baby was born every black person in town would come around to see the baby.
Kate Chopin in 1894
Photoportrait of writer Kate Chopin
Writer Kate Chopin and her sons Frederick, George,...There were many peculiarities around the home since the birth of Armand and Desiree's baby. For example, Armand's behavior, drastically changed. Desiree thought it was because the baby was a boy and could carry on Armand's name. Armand also began treating the slaves beter. He hadn't punished one of them since the baby had been born. This both delighted and frightened Desiree. Chopin described how his face was no longer disfigured by frowns since the day he fell in love. Chopin provides insight to Armand's identity when she explains changes in his behavior, many of these changes have to be brought to attention many times before a reader can absorb every morsel of it's meaning
As the story develops Chopin brings us to a conflicting section of the story when the baby is only three months old. She describes how Desiree is awoken one morning by a...