Armand's knowledge and suspicions in Desiree's story by Kate Chopin

¶ … Armand's previous knowledge. In addition paragraph, write page essay, present develop opinion question Armand sensed feared; Armand suspected.

Armand's knowledge in "Desiree's baby"

Kate Chopin's short story "Desiree's baby" puts across misunderstanding as it presents the protagonist, Armand Aubigny, being caught in a web of confusions influencing him to abandon his wife and child. Although most readers are likely to consider that Armand had absolutely no idea of his background and of the fact that his mother was black, it is actually different to understand exactly how much the man knew. Most elements in the short story point toward the belief that he was shocked to find out that his mother had been of African-American descent. The line between misunderstanding and wicked deceit is very thin in this story and one is likely to have trouble deciding what Armand's position in regard to the overall state of affairs was.

In contrast to his father, Armand did not consider black people to be equal to him, as he actually considered the African-American race to be inferior. One of the reasons for which his father expressed sympathy toward his slaves might be that he had an intimate relationship with a black woman, thus believing that people should not be discriminated on account of skin color. From an early age, Armand had been taught that it had been perfectly normal for him to own slaves and to treat them as if they were nothing more but possessions.

It is very likely that Armand's father did not intend for his lover to give birth, since he knew that the contemporary society did not approve of people coming from mixed races. However, when he finally realized that there was no turning back, he did not hesitate about raising Armand just as he would have raised any child. Also, his awareness concerning his son's background is very probable to have been influential in making him consider that African-Americans were equals. Armand is somewhat in a similar position when he considers that his child is partly black because of Desiree. However, he does not behave similar to his father and actually feels ashamed of being involved in this situation. His frustration proves that there is more than anger that he feels when he realizes that the local community knows everything about his child. He feels ashamed especially because he knows that he has become vulnerable. It is very probable that his shame is owed to the fact that he had been exposed. The fact that Desiree's background is unknown makes it easier for Armand to hold her responsible for everything that happens. Judging from all this, one might come to believe that Armand knew everything about his past, only that he was determined to have it hidden from the world. Although one might consider that it is but a coincidence that he comes across his mother's letter, it is likely that he knew where it was and that he thought that burning it had been the only solution to the problem he got himself into.

Considering that Armand's change in attitude toward his slaves and his wife did not take place in a gradual manner, it appears that he was surprised to see that his child was not completely white. Certain paragraphs in the short story show that Armand was actually surprised to see that his child was partly African-American. However, it is also difficult to determine if what he felt was surprise or if it was anger. The fact that he becomes even more passionate about treating black people as inferiors might be proof that he wants the whole world to see that he is nothing like them and that he actually hates them.