Racist Approaches in Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” and Black Feminism

Black Feminism is a theory that concentrates on sexism, race class, and class difference of black women in society. The main purpose of this movement is to show that Black women are also human beings and must have the same rights as other people.

From the past to the present, African American women have been alienated from society since they had black skin besides being a woman. Other types of feminism are intended for only white women. White women are supported by socially, academically, economically, and racially but non-white women are not associated with these feminist movements. This is because feminism term is not seen as available for black women, and they begin to refuse this feminism. Hereby black feminism is created to include all races including black women and it focuses on especially black women’s experiences among people. This means that black women are being underestimated both by men and white women. Furthermore, black feminism is not only about black women’s issues but also about black men’s experiences in society. This feminist movement includes racism which is faced by both black men and women. 

The main theme of Chopin's “Desiree’s Baby” is race and gender discrimination. Based on the story, for society, race plays a more significant role than self-identity. The place where the story is set is Louisiana and Louisiana is part of the United States of America. When this place is examined, there are many kinds of illegal slavery in Louisiana in American history. Besides the place of the story, the slaves of Armand show the reader that people like him in the 19th century discriminate against black people and buy them as a slave. Chopin wishes the readers to understand how black people are divided from other people because of their skin color and how their moral attitudes are disregarded by the views of white society. Armand who is Desiree’s husband from the upper class and white has slaves and his attitudes towards them are lack of conscience. This means that Chopin wants readers to comprehend the time setting of the story has been created, what has been going on in 19th-century America, and if black people have had rights and have been in the same conditions as white people.  

For the people in the story, being black is seen as shameful and white people have the right to judge them by their colors. Chopin Armand’s act towards Desiree, when he sees their babies, are partly black causes Desiree and the baby to die and to a tragic end. This explains that the characters feel wretched about their identities. Besides, Madame Aubigny, who is Armand’s mother, hides her actual origin so that Armand has a good life in those racist centuries.

When the story is examined in the light of black feminism, it can be found some examples of the acts of the characters. Black feminism is advocacy that there is no inequality between all genders and all races. For black feminism, black women and men face the division of race and gender, but the ones who experience gender discrimination are black women. Chopin shows the reader that Desiree has oppression and lack of love by her husband because of their baby’s color. Upon Armand’s blaming his wife for having a black origin, Desiree does not show much struggle to prove that he is wrong. This shows that Armand shows a racist approach and dominance of Desiree. In this case, the story is attached to black feminism in terms of Desiree’s and Madame Aubigny’s experiences. Chopin oversees two problems of the 19th century and previous centuries and the entire world by using irony to attract the attention of readers.

Chopin’s wife characters are not completely happy since she aims to reflect the unhappy marriages and status of women. The exposed situation of Desiree relates that his husband Armand has a bad attitude towards her because of racial things. Armand’s behaviors when he notices the baby is not white as he is so tough for Desiree. Desiree has no right to defend herself and Armand does not tend to find a solution. Desiree is tied up in their marriage and this proves that women are oppressed by their husbands in the marriages of the 19th century and the previous centuries of the United States. Desiree experiences not only men's pressure but also racism. All these experiences are combined in black feminism.