Licen, Christian Ray C.
BA English Major in Literature
III-V
English 110: Criticism of Fiction
Selection: Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”
Critical Approach: New Criticism
Kate Chopin’s ‘Desiree’s Baby’
New Criticism Approach
The story opens when Madam Valmonde visited Desiree, the protagonist in the story, to see her baby. Upon her way to L’Abri, Madam Valmonde reminisced Desiree’s childhood days with her, being her surrogate mother. Events began to unfold upon Mdm. Valmonde’s recollection of Desiree’s past. Chopin’s use of the “flashback” technique enables us to browse through a series of incidents that will pile up to the crux of the crisis. It was eighteen years ago when Armand Aubigny, riding by his horse, that he caught sight of the beautiful and charming Desiree. He knew then that he would fall in love with her at that instant. Unmindful of Desiree’s obscure past of which she was orphaned at a very young age, Armand fought his love for her through crossroads. He contained himself with such patience that the time had finally arrived to marry her. Indeed, Desiree’s married life had been on the bellows of comfort and success. These series of narrative flashbacks recoiled in the memory of Mdm. Valmonde. She hadn’t seen Desiree’s baby for almost four weeks. Then, she arrived at Desiree’s humble abode. But to her surprise, the baby developed fast and was scared of the thought that the baby would soon manifest Desiree’s true identity. Bothered by it, she asked Desiree’s marital status with Armand and was later on relieved upon hearing a positive feedback from her. Three months after, Desiree had awoken one day to the conviction that something tragic would happen. Indeed, she was right with her prognosis. Armand Aubigny has grown despicably cold and nonchalant with his feelings for her. The predicament has lingered for a couple of months and by the time she confronted him, she knew it then that Armand would neglect her and their baby because they come from a black race. Juts because they’re blacks, their lives had been miserable ever since. Her having sought Madame Valmonde’s refuge and counsel did not appease the situation.Disconcerted and embittered by the sudden twist of events, Desiree had finally given up her life on the arms of death: she committed suicide. Conclusively, one may also empathize with Armand having left with a shattered fate too. After uncovering a letter which her mother gave to his father, he found out that he has come from a black race as well through her mother’s ancestry.
The story speaks about a heartrending fate of Armand and Desiree. Chopin portrayed the two in similar respects. Both of them had become victims of their own rejection and defiance to their true identity and race. Apparently, Desiree’s arresting history of being a foundling and adoptive daughter of the Valmonde’s contributed to the exasperation of the conflict. The details of which would give us an inkling that ancestry and heritage plays a vital role in one’s life. Had she known her true identity, she wouldn’t have suffered wretchedly in the arms of Armand. She could have been more prudent as to choosing the right person for her, someone who accepts her unconditionally without a trace of discrimination. Speaking of issues, racism manifests by Chopin’s use of symbols. The dilapidated condition and solemn oaks that depicts the Aubigny’s property foreshadows an omen, a furtive motive or consequence that will change the course of the story. Eventually, it had come to reality when Armand forsaken Desiree and the baby for being black. Similarly, the background characters of the Negrillon and quadroon’s boys signal a “color” tone to the increasingly hysterical crises. Such innuendoes incite the readers to reckon on racial issues, as with the whites vs. the blacks. It also interesting to note that the “letter device” by which Desiree purported to her surrogate mother evoked a feeling of sympathy for the readers in her character. It elicits an affective relationship between them, serving both experiences to converge at a truthful reality. Such is also true with Armand, though with vindictive judgment over him. It both revealed the secrets of their past and true nature. In totality, Chopin’s fictional voice in this story emerges from a typical “local color” underpinning. By which, social issues of racism has been surfaced in a deeply poignant and remorseful conclusion. These and all contribute to the effectiveness of Chopin’s narrative point of view.
