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Kate Chopin - "Désirée's Baby" - Coggle Diagram
Kate Chopin - "Désirée's Baby"
Regionalism and the U.S. South
The U.S. South was one of the regions that became a focus of interest for regionalist writers in the late 19th century. Due to the legacies of slavery, its ethnic diversity, and a socio-cultural heritage that distinguished it from other regions, the South provided ample ground for writerly attention.
focus on the idiosyncrasies of Southern life & the nostalgic or exotic views of the South & use of elements of local color fiction
Regional fiction of this type tended to use regional difference as a means to emphasize the complexity and diversity of social experiences and to engage the reader's sympathy and understanding for characters whom they seemed to have little in common with.
Biography
Kate Chopin (1850-1904)
Chopin's fiction often combines regionalist features with a focus on women's lives and issues of gender
General facts
"Désirée's Baby" is set in rural Louisiana prior to the Civil War.
Both the Valmondé and the Aubigny families own plantations and, thus, would have been slaveholders. From their last names, we can judge that they belong to the Creole upper class.
Tradition and social standing do not seem to be equally important for the two families --> the Valmondés adopted a baby of obscure origin whereas social origins and family traditions are much more important for the Aubignys --> they focus on social rank
The tension between the obscurity of Désirée's origins and Armand's pride in social
The story depicts a society in which everybody – except, perhaps, for Désirée – seems to be well versed in reading the "signs" of racial origins
The story makes a number of more far-reaching points regarding the double standard that reigns within the system of slavery and the practice of racist classification --> sexual relations between white (men) and black (women)
For slaveholders, it is not the sexual relationship with a black woman (her rape) that is deemed unacceptable or that presents a "threat" to Armand's good name --> it is Armand's marriage to a woman of African descent and, thus, his acceptance of her as a social equal that would compromise his social standing
We may think of Désirée's function in the text as undermining certainties about who belongs into which category (master- slave; black-white) and showing that there is no clear-cut or stable basis on which to make such categorizations. The story therefore shows that paradoxically, visual signs are not conclusive in a semiotic system that makes skin color its primary basis of distinction.
Style
She uses linguistic markers to establish the story's regional setting. Most notably, French names and expressions serve as indicators for the area's Creole and Cajun culture. The regional character of the story is also reflected by its ethnic types (slaves & slaveholders)
Chopin uses foreshadowing effectively to hint at the denouement of the story.
The story is told by a third person narrator, a strategy which allows the reader to learn small but important pieces of information from the past
Plot
Désirée, an abandoned orphan who was adopted by wealthy plantation owners, has married Armand Aubigny, who owns a neighboring plantation.
Armand and Désirée's marriage, once passionate and loving, turns bitter and resentful when they have a baby who appears to be of mixed race.
Armand accuses Désirée of having Black ancestry. Distraught, she takes the baby and walks off into the wilderness, never to be seen again.
Afterwards, Armand finds a scrap of one of his mother's letters in which she reveals that she is Black.
Désirée and her baby as victims
Désirée and her baby are the victims of racist beliefs and racial hierarchies that define antebellum Louisiana.
They are also victims of gender relations and women's lack of social power. In addition to racism, gender relations and the unequal distribution of power are a central theme in "Désirée's Baby." Armand, is in a position of social power by way of his sex, class, and ethnicity.
The story, therefore, reveals the lack of social power and the rather limited options available to women. It is Armand's interpretation of events and view of the world that defines Désirée's existence.