Desiree's Baby

Désirée is one of the main characters in “Désirée’s Baby.” Désirée is the new mother of Armand Aubigny’s first child and the adopted daughter of Madame Valmondé. Her birth parents are unknown, as Madame Valmondé discovered her by the gates, either having been abandoned by or having wandered from her parents. Madame Valmondé sees her as a gift from God, considering she could not bear children of her own, and this holy, pure quality remains with Désirée as she grows into adulthood. The story describes her as “beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere—the idol of Valmondé” (Paragraph 3) with “long, silky brown hair that hung about her shoulders” (Paragraph 19). Her loving nature and innocence result in her being the last character to suspect or understand that something is “wrong” with her child.

Désirée is rejected by her husband, but she also feels she can’t live with the truth of her ancestry if it indeed confirms she’s “not white”; she chooses not to save herself by going to live with her adoring parents but rather exiles herself and her child into the wilderness, presumably choosing death instead. This dramatic end mirrors her mysterious and dramatic origins, adding to Désirée’s otherworldly, Biblical, fable-like quality.