¶ … 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...
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.…
