about the origin of Desiree, and again when she sees the skin colour of the child, but says nothing.. You get the immediate impression from the writer of pity for this sad woman.
Desiree grew up and married a nearby plantation owner’s son. In turn they had a son of their own. But this is where the intrigue of the story begins because of the dissimilarity of the skin colour of the child to their own. The father of the child, Armand Aubigny, accused his wife of not being white, and as no-one knew of Desiree’s origin, his statement seemed quite plausible. The stigma of being ‘coloured’ is skilfully suggested, and Armand’s attitude was one of horror and distaste, typical of that period. What Armand did not know at the time was that his own mother, who had died in Paris when he was eight years old, was a coloured woman. This fact is hidden from us until the end of the story, in order to build up the tension of the tragedy, and this is made possible by the fact that Madame Aubigny never came to the plantation but remained all her married life in Paris.
The main idea developed in the story is what happens when race and colour turn into hatred and bigotry. The story is a fairly simple, one and as you read through you will think everything is going well and it will have a happy ending. The first time you feel uneasy is when Madame Valmonde visits her grandchild for the first time since the birth four weeks before, and exclaims
“This is not the baby”
She takes the baby to the window and scans her face. Although nothing is said at this point, you feel something is wrong. From this moment the tension of the story builds. The writer is not giving anything away, but you feel compelled to read on. At this point the writer allows your imagination to run riot considering all possible endings, knowing it is not as straight forward as first seemed. To me this shows the qualities of the writer, and I appreciate the way it is written. The twist at the end of the story is nothing like anything imagined.
Armand had mellowed since the birth of his son, and he had not been as hard on his slaves. It is very interesting to note the clue that old Monsieur Aubigny had been very easy-going with his slaves, obviously, as we discover later, because his wife had been a slave, whereas Armand, knowing nothing of this, had a stricter regime.
Kate Chopin has subtly suggested the characters and their attitudes. Armand was very impetuous. He fell in love with Desiree instantly, and although Monsieur Valmonde wanted Desiree’s “obscure origin” considered, Armand did not care, and could not wait until they married.
This contrasts dramatically upon the realisation of the skin colour of the baby. The writer paints a picture of a very bitter, cold hearted and cruel man, believing life has treated him unjustly and turned his love into to hate. His behaviour is portrayed by the writer in the lines
“When he spoke to her it was with averted eyes”
“He absented from home”
“Satan seemed to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves”
The writer makes it very easy to picture the scene and the different emotions felt between Armand and Desiree. In particular the metaphor used
“Like a stone image, silent white motionless”
brings a very vivid picture to mind. The author achieves the feeling of the utter despair of Desiree by her behaviour towards Armand, and the hysterical way in which he tries desperately to deny the accusation
“My skin is fair, look at my hand, whiter than yours, Armand”
The character of Desiree, earning the reader’s sympathy, remains stable throughout the story, naïve, simple and just wanting confirmation from Armand, that he would accept the situation for love of her and the child, whereas Armand’s character changed dramatically throughout the story. In the beginning he was impetuous passionate and loving, but on the discovery of the complexion of the child he became remote, angry and his heart full of hatred. We can believe in this change because hints were given earlier that he could be cruel.
The detail of the burning of the baby’s expensive layette, after Desiree’s death, which leads to the discovery of the letter from Armand’s mother revealing his origins, adds to the pathos and the drama of the situation.
The story has all the ingredients of a good short story. How the characters behave, what they say and do, even the minor characters, the little mulatto boy, the female servant who sees all and says nothing, the character of Blanche, whom we do not see but who suggests a paler coloured slave………..all these quickly establish the scene and atmosphere, and the way in which rejoicing rapidly turns to distrust and distaste is skilfully achieved . Dialogue is used to further the plot, and the despair and pathos of the young mother, culminating in her suicide, is bleakly described. The building of the tension, right to the twist at the end, keeps you very firmly hooked. Yes, this is a very successful short story.