Desiree's Baby Essay Questions

Why do you think Chopin ended the story with the letter from Armand's mother?

It leaves the reader with a sense of wanting more and of suspense. The reader is left to imagine what Armand's reaction is, and how his assumptions, prejudices, and actions operate in almost complete contradiction to his family history. There is a strong shock value that the letter holds, but the impact that it has on Armand is left completely to the imagination. At the same time, it gives the reader an insight into what a racist white person of Gilded Age America might experience psychologically after having found out that he is actually part black.

Why is Desiree's fate is left unknown?

There seems to be a recurring theme of suspense and lack of closure in the story. It is possible that just as Desiree is at the end almost unsure about her past, the reader is left wondering about her future as well. The lack of closure might speak to a broader occurrence in American society about the uncertainty of race relations and quite possibly the mystical and sometimes elusive nature of God - especially considering the religiosity of the American South and of Armand in particular (who saw Desiree's supposed mixed racial background as a kind of divine curse).

How is it that Armand pays for having hastily married Desiree?

Armand's attraction towards Desiree upon first sight - one might even say lust - leads him to make incredibly rash decisions and marry Desiree without investigating or looking into her background as much as he should have. Had he done so, he would have realized that it was not because of Desiree that their child appeared to be of a mixed background, but because of him and his own mother. In the end, he loses his wife, his child, and the respect afforded to him by his property and his family name.

What are instances that foreshadow the possible outcomes of Desiree's future?

Monsieur Valmondé attempted to be practical and temper Armand's initial passion for and attraction to Desiree. He wanted Armand to consider everything about Desiree, specifically making him aware of Desiree's obscure past. Moreover, when Madame Valmondé visits Desiree in her new home and sees Desiree's child, she never removes her eyes from it. She claims that this baby is not Desiree's baby. In fact, she scans the baby narrowly and does so in the light of the window. Then the Madame looks searchingly at Zandrine, the nurse who is caring for Desiree as she recovers from her pregnancy. These moments of tension and uncertainty give some hint to the reader that the conflict surrounds the race of the baby, and this issue - which Desiree dismisses rather easily - may create problems for Desiree later on.

How does Armand conceive of Desiree?

It would seem because of his hasty decision to marry her upon seeing her for the first time and not looking into her background, that Armand treats Desiree as a kind of product or commodity to be bought. He is from one of the most established families in Louisiana and to woo or usurp Desiree is a matter of time, not resources, confidence, or eligibility. As a result of his commodification of Desiree, he buys her fine clothes (which he just as casually has burned in the bonfire) and puts every service and resource at her disposal - but again, just as easily and swiftly takes them away from her upon his suspicion that she is not of pure white heritage.