Désirée's Baby

Désirée is the adopted daughter of Monsieur and Madame Valmondé, who are wealthy French Creoles in antebellum Louisiana.

She is courted by the son of another wealthy, well-known and respected French Creole family, Armand Aubigny.

[1] It first appeared under the title "The Father of Désirée's Baby" in a section called "Character Studies".

Though Kate Chopin is usually considered to be a writer of American realism and naturalism, the story is difficult to classify, in part because it is extremely short.

[vague] Though brief, the story raises important issues that plagued Chopin's South, particularly the pervasive and destructive, yet ambiguous nature of racism, especially given the numerous people of color in the society.

[4] The story also questions the potential fulfillment of woman's identity — a subject that fascinated the unconventional Chopin.