ENG 102
Writing Project 1
3 Oct. 2012

My Mother’s Baby

In “Désirée’s Baby,” by Kate Chopin, the main character, Désirée, is shunned from her home because her baby has colored skin. Although I can’t directly relate, my mom can. Years ago, my mom had a baby with colored skin, and my grandfather did not approve, much like Armand in the story. For Armand and Désirée, it was like love at first sight, and they marry. Soon they expand their family with the birth of a baby boy. Désirée’s world is perfect until Armand starts acting strange. She has no idea what could have caused this sudden change. When Désirée confronts him about it, he indirectly tells her that it is because their baby’s skin is not pure white. He can’t accept that their baby’s skin doesn’t match his, and he asks Désirée to take the baby and leave. My grandfather is very old-fashioned. He was raised on a farm in Missouri long before the civil rights movement. His grandfather lived with him, and they were very close. His grandfather’s family had owned slaves, and my grandfather grew up believing that the white race is superior. So, when my mom married a Hispanic man in 1986, my grandfather started acting similar to Armand in “Désirée’s Baby.” In the story, Chopin writes about Désirée, “A strange, an awful change in her husband’s manner, which she dared not ask him to explain,” (Chopin 191). My mom can relate to Désirée because her own father was doing the same to her. Soon after the wedding, my mom, like Désirée, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. This baby also had colored skin. Her father’s attitude hadn’t improved since the wedding, and when she went for visits, he wouldn’t see her. He refused to spend any time with his first grandchild. Like Armand to Désirée, my grandfather essentially removed my mom from his life. My mom wanted a nicer