Characters

In this section of the study guide, we will help you characterize the main characters in Kate Chopin's “Désirée's Baby”.

Désirée

Désirée is characterized both directly by the narrator and indirectly through speech, actions and attitudes.

In terms of character development, we can say Désirée is a static character; she does not take action until the end of the story. Her decision to disappear is only a reaction to her husband’s attitude.

She is young, fair-skinned and beautiful:

The young mother was recovering slowly, and lay full length, in her soft white muslins and laces, up on a couch. (p. 23, ll. 24-25)

And:

Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray, Armand, you know they are gray. And my skin is fair (p. 25, ll. 16-17)

She is the archetype of the submissive wife. She does not argue against her husband’s opinion and will: “This was what made the gentle Désirée so happy, for she loved him desperately. When he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater ...