Many female writers write about women's struggle for equality and how they are looked upon as inferior. Kate Chopin exhibits her views about women in her stories. The relationship between men and women in Kate Chopin's stories imply the attitudes that men and women portray. In many of Chopin's works, the idea that women's actions are driven by the men in the story reveals that men are oppressive and dominant and women are vulnerable, gullable and sensitive. Chopin also shows that females, like Desiree and Eleanor, undergo a transformation from dependent and weak to stronger women free from their husbands by the end of the story. In the short story 'Desiree's Baby,' Kate Chopin reveals her idea of the relationship between men and women by showing instances of inferiority and superiority throughout the story. In 'A Point at Issue,' there are many instances where the idea of hypocrisy and the attitudes that the main characters display and how their actions affect each other's lives, show the impact that men have on w...

As I read "Desiree’s Baby" by Kate Chopin, I couldn’t imagine living in an era where my value as a human being was determined by my skin color. I ask myself if I would have been considered an Afro-Cuban and treated like a slave just because my father is a "Quadroon" (1/4 African)? Would my father’s skin color, heritage and ethnicity make me an "Octaroon" (1/8 African) regardless of the fact that my skin is lighter than most Caucasian’s?
"Desiree’s Baby" by K. Chopin is set in the early nineteen hundreds, just before the American Civil War. In that era, slavery was legal and people who had traces of African descent were treated worse than insects. It was an era when a human’s value and social status were measured by the color of their skin. Chopin writes about the importance of social status and the importance of race versus love, family, dignity, pride and honor. In addition, the story is an example of what Armand was capable of and willing to give up in order to conserve his authority in a society dominated by whites despite his knowledg...

story about secrets and self-interest, is about love versus social status. Moreover, it’s also about race and the difference between being born black or white. It is also about discrimination towards Blacks and slavery in America. Most important, is about ignorant people that create categories for people according to the color of their skin, heritage and ethnicity.
The evil of bigotry is the main theme, or central idea, of Kate Chopin's, "Desiree's Baby." In addition, the prevalence of justice is a key idea of the story, and becomes it becomes more and more apparent as the story builds. A plot, filled with twists and turns, further supports these themes.
"Desiree's Baby" opens with a brief exposition explaining how Desiree became married to Armand Aubigny, a wealthy plantation owner in Louisiana, whose extreme racism causes him to mistreat his slaves. As a baby, Desiree was left at the home of Madame Valmond, who immediately took her in and fell in love with her. It was eighteen years later than Armand first saw and fell in love with Desiree. Upon getting married, Armand's love for Desiree so overcomes his bigotry that he learns to treat his slaves with kindness.
Bigotry, as a theme, becomes more apparent after the birth of Desiree and Armand's first baby. When Armand sees the dark skin of his baby boy, he questions his wife's heritage and even accuses her saying, " 'you are not white.'" So hurt by the words of the man who once loved her, Desiree leaves to Madame Valmond's with her son. In a rage, Armand creates a bonfire with all of Desiree's belongings. When he reaches for the last letter to burn, Armand realizes it is an old letter from his mother to his father. From this, Armand learns it is he, not his wife, who "'belongs to that race that is cursed with the brand of slavery.'"
Chopin's short story not only shows us the evils of racism, but it leaves the reader content knowing that justice is served to those who deserve it.