Works Cited Preliminary Page Next week you will be completing a research paper on one of the works you read during this course. To prepare for writing the paper, choose the work you will write about a

Bacuylima 4

Jennifer Bacuylima

St. Thomas University

Reader Response Paper - Kate Chopin's Désirée’s Baby

In Kate Chopin's Désirée’s Baby, I feel instantly connected and invested in the narrative because there is an immediate sense of the warmth of a family and the confusion and struggle that comes with love. The female protagonist, Désirée, picked up by the Valmondé family as a baby, fascinates me with her beauty and gentleness as a symbol of fate and social norms. Through the contrast of Valmondé with the serene environment and the disastrous progression of events, Chopin brings deep themes such as identity, race, and maternal love to light. In this seemingly innocent work cited by de Tocqueville in Democracy in America, the main character Désirée's shift from blissful family life with her husband Armand and a child, a common theme of the love story, to a tragic ending provides a powerful narrative that tackles human relations and prejudice. This was the hook that immediately got me intrigued to look more into how identity plays a role in constructing the reality that we live in.

My reading of Desirée's Baby is informed by reader response criticism and my social location as a reader. I also particularly felt the wrenching of a woman's identity, a long struggle under love and societal reckoning, as a woman who has had my own experiences with the unknowable. It is the moment Armand coldly declares, 'It means that the child is not white; it means that you are not white,' which resonates deeply as it taps into the normative ways in which race and identity are positioned within society. Not only does this statement destroy Désirée's world, as is indicated, but it exposes the harsh reality of being in a racially divided society. With all this sympathy, my emotions are heightened by this scene because I feel for Désirée, whose struggle for acceptance is a battle against a world that all too often links value and worth with race. This connection, in turn, helps me understand the narrative better, showing how one’s experience of the text can differ based on the experience of one's social location.

This is evident in Désirée’s transformation as she struggles with her self-identity and the consequences of her husband’s rejection. My own experiences with vulnerability and the desire for acceptance make me emotionally resonate with her character. They are similar because the former also shows empathy towards Désirée and reads her plight beyond race and gender as a personal misfortune. Watching her suffering emotionally, I begin to understand the injustice done by the society to her kind. Through such choices, the author encourages the readers to look into the darkness and the harsh realities of identity, love, and relationships within the framework of the society’s norms and rules.

The strength of Chopin's work is found in the complexity of the characters created and the raw portrayal of the culture then. I think that the elements of strength are articulated in the imagery in the short story and the presentation of the emotions of the characters, which can influence the readers. However, one may find that there is not enough room for the development of many ideas and themes presented in the story. Even though the plot offers a vivid portrayal of the tragedy of Désirée's life, the analysis of Armand's character might shed more light on the gender expectations that shape him. However, it is clear that the story is whole and complete in that it moves the reader and causes them to think about race and identity.

In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend Désirée’s Baby to others for its poignant exploration of identity, race, and the complexities of love. The narrative of Chopin acts as a mirror to present-day issues in our society for readers to engage with on a personal and emotional level. This power of literature to communicate, understand, and empathize has a larger point: to reach the widest range of readers. By exploring Désirée's experiences, readers are afforded the opportunity to learn about the human condition and the unending fight for identity and acceptance in a complicated world.

Work Cited

Chopin, Kate. Désirée’s Baby. 24 November 1892. https://www.katechopin.org/pdfs/desirees-baby.pdf. 27 October 2024.