Kate Chopin's "Desiree's Baby" is a story of love - a genuine love and a superficial love, .
a story witch reveals an uglier side of human nature and relations.
The relationship between Desiree and her adoptive parents portrays true love, based on .
affection and free of prejudice. Desiree is a toddler when she is found by Mousier .
Valmande at the gate of his estate in Louisiana. She is taken in and raised by her adoptive .
parents, who grow to genuinely love her, despite her obscure origin. Madam Valmande .
considers Desiree to be a gift of Providence, because she can not have any children of her .
own, and showers the girl with real affection. In response to such true love Desiree grows .
up to be not only beautiful physically but "affectionate and sincere", spiritually innocent .
and pure.
Desiree's parents love is put to the test when Desiree is accused of being not white. .
Despite the accusation she remains her mother's child as before and her mother .
welcomes her and her child home "back to your mother who loves you".
The relationship between Armand Aubigny's parents is another example of genuine love .
and its consequences. Armand's father a wealthy landowner, truly loved Armand's .
mother and because of that, was able to overlook the fact that she was of black race.
To be with her he left his plantation and his important name in Louisiana and went to live .
in France, a land foreign to him. Their genuine love for each other made their lives .
happy, "easy going and indulgent" and softened the difficult lives of their slaves.
On the other hand, the relationship between Armand and Desiree portrays a superficial .
love influenced by pride and prejudice, and ultimately causing destruction and death.
When Desiree is eighteen, Armand Aubigny falls with her. Like his father Armand is a .
wealthy plantation owner, but unlike his father he has an "imperious and exacting nature" .
and rules his slaves with a strict hand.