Pride, Love, and Race in "Desiree's Baby".
In the story "Desiree's Baby", Kate Chopin introduces three characters in the plot, but only two of them have a vital role. Desiree and Armand are the two characters in the story that play that vital role. In the story they end up falling in love, getting married, and having a child. They both have a lot of issues with each other. Desiree and Armand start out to be true lovers, but at the end race breaks up their romance. .
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One of the reasons their marriage ends is because of Armand's pride. In the story he is portrayed as the man who has it all. His family name is the oldest and proudest in Louisiana. He comes from a family that is well known, and he uses his family name as another way to feel like king besides owning slaves. His pride comes first before his family because he feels he has to protect the name of the family and history at all cost. He did not want anything to destroy who and what he is which was a well known slave owner. Armand tells his wife and baby to leave since he assumes that she is black. Armand does not want people to frown at him or make him out to be a joke. This makes him feel like he no longer loves her because his pride is hurt of the shame Desiree brings to the family name of Aubigny. .
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Another reason why their marriage ends is because Armand's meaning of the word love is different from Desiree's meaning of love. Their relationship is described as a superficial love, which is influenced by pride, prejudice, ultimate causes of destruction, and death. His love for the baby is motivated not by genuine love, but rather by pride because the baby boy will continue his important family name. Armand meets Desiree when she is eighteen when he rides past her as she stands one day against the stone pillar. He falls in love with her even though he hardly knows her, but he marries her anyway and she has his son.