Slavery and Racism history in Southern American in Desiree’s Baby

Introduction

Kate Chopin, who reached her creative peak in the late nineteenth century, wrote about issues that wouldnot take social focus until many years after her death."Desiree's Baby" written in 1893 is the short story for which Chopin is most well known.reviewers particularly appreciated Chopin's remarkable evocation of Cajun Louisiana. Today, however, readers and critics find "Desiree's Baby" to be much more than an examination of a distinct cultural place. Though brief, the story raises important issues that still plagued Chopin's South, particularly the pervasive and destructive yet ambiguous nature of racism. The story also questions the potential fulfillment of womans identity a subject that fascinated the unconventional Chopin. In her portrayal of Desiree, a woman whose self-worth and self-exploration is intrinsically linked to that of her husband, Chopin opened the door to her lifelong query into a woman's struggle for a place where she could fully belong. Here, I will discuss the space and time of the story desiree's baby.many kinds issue from this story.first,American colonial periode.second,Slavery history in Southern America.Third,Louisiana purchase.and the last,Civil right of Afro-American decendent. and I prefer to focus on the issue Slavery history and racism in Southern America.

      

Content

  The story shows several examples of how white perceptions of black inferiority, and i how internalized black perceptions of black inferiority, lead to race being a taboo subject that causes characters to act in morally corrupt ways and to feel guilt, shame, and fear about their actions and identities. Without racial prejudice and the shame it generates, the story’s tragedy would never have unfolded. But the story pushes further in its condemnation of racism, by showing how the racism of its white characters causes them to see a person’s race as more important than that person’s self. There are also traces of racism in the story. There is the obvious fact that Armand ignores the baby based solely on the child’s skin colour. There is also the fact that Armand beats the slaves on his plantation. If anything it is possible that Armand views his slaves as inferior to him. This perceived superiority that Armand feels over black people would have been common in the American South at the time that Chopin wrote the story, with most white people considering those who were black or of mixed racial heritage to be inferior.the story makes obvious the idiocy and tragedy of this way of seeing the world, with racial background as its most important feature, since it becomes evident that one’s racial background isn’t obvious at all, and thus nothing to base assessments of oneself or of others. “Désirée’s Baby” depicts the ways in which the gender and economic inequalities present in mid-nineteenth century Southern society reinforced and intermingled with the inequalities of racist slave culture. Chopin demonstrates that inequalities between the genders and vast disparities of wealth help enforce racism. Désirée, although white, is treated as a possession. Armand believes, correctly, that he can claim her by buying fine clothes and gifts for her. These marks of wealth reinforce Armand’s status, as well as categorize Désirée as a controllable object. Meanwhile, the division of her maternal care duties to others demonstrates Désirée’s wealth and position. The black nurse Zandrine cares for her baby. Her leisurely lifestyle reflects her wealth and position, which, although she is still subject to Armand’s will as a woman, is reinforced by her white skin.

Conclusion

   In the story, Desiree’s Baby, written by Kate Chopin in 1892, there are plenty of topics that are brought along such as gender issues, womanism,racism, and race. However, the problem of this short story is Armand’s pride overcoming the love he has for his wife Desiree. His problem was that he had too much pride especially for his family name. He felt like everything evolved around his name and him. Desiree did have love for Armand and thought he felt the same but apparently Armand only cared about showing off his family and power. This problem can be solved by realizing that a family name is not what always makes us who we are. It is up to us to become better than just a name that is the proudest.

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