Race and Racism

The themes of race and racism are integral to "Désirée's Baby," for prevailing ideas of Chopin's time that African Americans were inferior to whites leads to the destruction of Désirée and her baby. Armand is confident in the superiority of his lineage and his race. He comes from "one of the oldest and proudest [families] in Louisiana." Armand conducts himself in a way typical of the cruel master of southern legend. In marked contrast to his father, he rules his slaves strictly, and Désirée's delight in his initial good mood after the birth of the baby demonstrates his true nature: "he hasn't punished one of them [the slaves]—not one of them—since baby is born."

When the child begins to show evidence of being of mixed ancestry, Armand believes it must...