Armand Aubigny in Desiree s Baby
“Desiree’s “Baby” is a short story of love, prejudice and rejection, a story with a gracious beginning that slowly turns to reveal an uglier side of human relations. The social ideology in “Desiree’s Baby” is powerful and dangerous and holds no escape for any character. Armand, Desiree, and their child hold a degree of power based on race, and family background (Esposito 1). Armand, in particular, is confronted with a family secret that has been hidden from him. ... The significance of Armand’s situation is what makes us focus on the many tragic and ironic decisions made by him throughout the story. One of the major aspects of Armand in this story is his unpredictability. First, he fell in love and married a girl whom he had known since he was eight, the young Desiree. ... “Marriage, and later the birth of his son had softened Armand Aubigny’s imperious and exacting nature greatly” (James 64). His marriage with Desiree was a victim of his own urges because he imposed his will on his slaves as well as on her (Elfenbein 126). When Armand married Desiree she was someone whom he thought others would envy; this is what caught his attention.