What does Armand do as a result of his hatred of Désirée and the baby? In “Désirée's Baby,” Armand
sends his wife and son away
as a result of his hatred of Désirée and the baby. Because he comes to believe that they are Black, the same race as the slaves he owns, he considers them inferior and rejects them.
What did Armand do Desiree?
Expert Answers
A few weeks after he throws his wife, Desiree, out of his house for giving birth to a black baby, Armand Aubigny orders
his black servants to build a bonfire in the backyard and burn everything that reminds him of her
. He watches from his hallway as they burn Desiree's…
What does Armand assume about Desiree and the baby?
It seems that Armand Aubigny believes
that his wife, Desiree
, is the reason their baby is not white because her history is unknown. Desiree had been a foundling, encountered by Monsieur Valmonde, the man who would become her adoptive father, asleep at the gateway to his property.
Why does Armand become so cold and angry with Desiree?
Desiree is upset because Armand has become cold and distant to her
. One day as the young baby is being fanned by a young slave boy, Desiree realizes the baby has a dark complexion like the slave boy. Desiree demands that Armand tell her what it means and his answer destroys her happiness.
How does Armand change in Desiree's baby?
In Chopin's “Desiree's Baby,” Armand is characterized as an extremely impulsive individual. First he falls in love with Desiree when he first sees her,
marries her quickly–
regardless of her mysterious heritage–, and spends an incredible amount of money on Desiree in preparation for the wedding.
What happened to Desiree and her baby?
However, Chopin writes, “She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou; and she did not come back again.” This line indicates that Desiree and
her baby end up drowning in the bayou
, which is a marshy lake common to Louisiana.
What is the main idea of Desiree's baby?
The main themes in “Désirée's Baby” are
racism, gender, and hypocrisy
. Racism: Armand's cruelty, both toward Désirée and those he enslaves, is based on entrenched ideas of race. Ironically, Armand himself turns out to have Black ancestry.
How does Armand fall in love with Desiree?
Desiree compares her baby with the mixed-race son of her slave/maid. How did Armand first fall in love with Desiree?
He rode by one day, saw her by a stone pillar, and was smitten
. … He is so happy with his son that he has stopped punishing the slaves.
What does Desiree do when Armand shuns her?
What does Desiree do when Armand shuns her?
Walks into the bayou with the infant and they are never seen again.
Why is Armand so angry?
Why is Armand so angry at Desiree? …
Due to Armand's racism
, he lost Desiree and his son because once he found out that his son was mixed, he really angry at Desiree and accuses her of being mixed because of her unknown heritage.
Who tells Desiree that she is not white?
Armand's Sudden Change
Armand's reaction to the baby's darkening skin tone is representative of racial views of the time. When Desiree realizes the baby is darker than he ‘should' be, given his white parents, she runs to
Armand
in confusion. He responds by telling her that it means she is not white.
Why has Armand become easier on the slaves?
Armand's treatment of his slaves is
directly related to his own personal happiness
. He is presented as being a harsh man who works his slaves hard, yet when he has his child, he is so happy that he softens in his attitudes towards everybody.
What is the symbol of Desiree's baby?
Throughout her short story “Desiree's Baby,” Kate Chopin uses symbolism to convey her themes of racial prejudice, unequal gender roles, and social hierarchy in a patriarchal society.
The stone pillar
is a phallic symbol of firm, forced male dominance in a patriarchal society.
What do the three colors symbolize in Desiree's baby?
Skin colors are referred to as
white, black, and yellow
. White stands for the ruling class of white people in the Southern plantation society. Black stands for the class of slaves who worked on the plantations, who are powerless in their society.
Why has Armands treatment of his wife changed so suddenly?
Armand's behavior towards Désirée in “Désirée's Baby” changes suddenly
when he realizes that his son is mixed race
.
Why was Desiree suspected of being black?
Because their baby resembles the quadroons of the plantation, such as the “yellow nurse woman,” Zandrine, and the little boy who waves a fan one day as he stands near the baby, Armand Aubigny decides that
his wife Désirée must be part African
.
