For this speech, you may wish to put the story within its
historical context because such a context is intrinsic to the meanings and implications
of Kate Chopin's narrative. For there are essentially two very determining concepts in
the narrative of "Desiree's Baby":
1. The
proper pedigree is important to French
Creoles.
When Armaud falls in love with the
beautiful girl of mysterious background that the Valmonde's have adopted, Monsieur
Valmonde is practical and asked that the girl's background be considered. But Armaud
does not hear of it, "What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the
oldes and proudes in Louisiana?"
However, Armaud does
indeed define himself by social status. So when the baby grows, doubts about its race
also grow. And, eventually, Armand rejects Desiree's
baby.
2. Women in the Creole society are
considered as second-class citizens.
Once
Arman delieves that Desiree is inauthentic, he never regards her with any interest. He,
therefore, rejects her and her child, holding her responsible for the baby's
color.
3. The last consideration is the
tendency of people to excuse
themselves.
Both Armand and Desiree blame
each other.
Desiree asks what the child's appearance
means, and Armand tells her it means that the baby is not white; she is not white. But,
Desiree argues, "my hair...is brown; and my eyes are gray....And my skin is fair....Look
at my hand; whiter than yours, Armand," she contends.
But
Armand will not consider anything Desiree says. Instead, he argues, "As white as
LaBlanche's (a mulatto slave)," he returns cruelly. Then, he departs, leaving Desiree
alone with the baby.
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