Table of ContentsIntroductionLiterary AnalysisConclusionWork Cited IntroductionHave you ever felt like you didn't know who you were? Or did you feel like you didn't know where you came from? Desiree's Baby is a short story written by Kate Chopin that captures the racial landscape that existed in the 19th century before the Civil War. The story takes place in Louisiana, in the house of a slave owner and Désirée's husband, Armand. It is an account of how racial prejudice and slavery shaped, reshaped, and to a large extent disrupted the lives of slaves as well as their owners. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayRacial identity is at the heart of this story, with the main factor of being a slave or master relying instead on knowledge of his identity than on their race in its precursor form. Chopin therefore presents the case of a tragedy of identity, caused not by race, but rather by the individual's ability to identify with a particular race or by their inability not to do so. Literary Analysis Before the advent of slavery, race and therefore racial identities were considered as factors that defined the biological differences due to different people around the world, the uniqueness of their cultures, their genetic variations and the aspects of their cultures and beliefs. However, slavery gave rise to yet another aspect of race, one that denotes superior and inferior, majority and minority, and master and slave. Désirée, before meeting and marrying Armand, never questioned her identity, as Madame Valmonde raised her. When Madame Velmonde found her lying in the shade of a stone pillar, “she was nameless.” She therefore had no link with any identity and Madame Velmonde has the possibility of creating in herself the values, the identity and the personality that she wishes. Through the identity she instilled in her, she grew up to become an affectionate, gentle, beautiful and sincere person, a figure admired by many, including Armand. While she would have grown up to be a slave, physically and sexually abused as her owner saw fit, she instead became a delicate and attractive flower, worthy of the care and love she received. Desiree's lack of identity, even more so in her lack. of a name, made Armand himself want to create in her what he would have wanted for himself in a woman. The lack of an identity did not bother him because he would grant it "one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana." Marriage with this delicate flower had even made Armand lenient towards slaves, even more so after the birth of his eldest son. Désirée recounts that since the birth of their son, Armand had stopped whipping his slaves, even those who pretended to be injured to avoid working. However, with this baby born to a known identity, insecurities and fears begin to emerge. It all begins with Madame Velmonde's visit to her grandchild. She takes the baby to a window full of light to examine him carefully and later asks whether Armand notices him or not. It only takes three months for the Satan of racial prejudice to invade Desiree's house, as the black slaves whisper to themselves and neighbors from afar come to witness the abomination spawned in Armand's house. It was then that Desiree grasped the possibility of her identity, with complete denial and rejection of the idea that she could be black. The shine of his marriage fades considerably and he is left with nothing but an empty soul and..