Desirees Baby

Desiree is given a quite intriguing personality in the short story “Desiree’s Baby”. Her life appears to go in cycles, moving forth and eventually settling where it started. According to literature, Desiree was abandoned by her real parents in the outskirts of a town when she was very young. Her parents were not able to give her a decent life and felt that somehow someone would pick her up. It is thought that she was abandoned by Texans who were tired from their journey. Fortunately, Desiree was picked up by a gentleman from Valmonde. Madame Valmonde is said to have thanked God for this, as she did not have any children for herself. They brought her up in a well-respected family thereby helping her to become a beautiful lady. Later on, Desiree would grow up into a responsible young lady and eventually fall in love with Armand. Essentially, Desiree exhibits a strong personality that is both kind and loving in character (Chopin, 1893).

Although she seems oblivious of her family history, Desiree has quite a strong character. For instance, she is not shaken by Armand blaming her for making their baby black. As a matter of fact, she takes no issue with the accusation because she has no idea where she came from. She says, “It means…that the child is not white; it means that you are not white.” It would be expected that Desiree would search for words to counter the accusation or try to defend herself of the accusations. Instead, she remains quite oblivious thereby depicting her as a strong character that can stand for the truth. She certainly does not see the need to utter words that would please Armand for that will not change the baby’s race (Chopin, 1893).

It goes without saying that Desiree is both gentle and caring in the sense that she shows a lot of empathy for her family and friends. Although she appears naïve and out of touch with the real world, she does not get bothered so long as she has loved ones around. It is probably the reason she did not take offence when Armand accused her of making the baby black. It is said, “This was what made the gentle Desiree 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.” This certainly shows that she enjoys the company of friends to the extent of being oblivious of world’s problems. It should be noted that only persons who are caring enough can receive care and affection from friends. Essentially, this implies that Desiree did not only enjoy people’s love, but also showed the same to her friends and family. There is absolutely no doubt that Desiree will never get to realize why her child was of mixed race. However, this will never make her stop loving her or to abandon her even for a minute (Chopin, 1893).

In conclusion, Desiree is given a quite intriguing personality in the short story “Desiree’s Baby”. Her life appears to go in cycles, moving forth and eventually settling where it started. The kind of life she went through as a little kid is the same one that her daughter goes through decades later. Although the situations are different, the story is much the same as they both symbolize a world of possibilities. Desiree appears to be of quite a strong character. For instance, she is not shaken by Armand blaming her for making their baby black. As a matter of fact, she takes no issue with the accusation because she has no idea where she came from. In addition, she is both gentle and caring in the sense that she shows a lot of empathy for her family and friends. Although she appears naïve and out of touch with the real world, she does not get bothered so long as she has loved ones around. These simply show that she does not only enjoy people’s love, but also offers real love to her friends and relatives.