Consider the influence of the settings of Kate Chopin's "Désirée's Baby" on its plot. A great deal depends, for example, on Désirée's move from the Valmondé estate to L'Abri, the Aubigny mansion, and the story hints that Armand's first desire for Désirée depended on how she looked with the Valmondé's stone pillar for a backdrop: "It was no wonder, when she stood one day against the stone pillar in whose shadow she had lain asleep, that Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her. That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot. The wonder was that he had not loved her before; for he had known her since his father brought him home from Paris, a boy of eight, after his mother died there". How would you describe the way setting and plot interact in this story?

Question

Social Studies

Caesar

21 July, 08:46

Consider the influence of the settings of Kate Chopin's "Désirée's Baby" on its plot. A great deal depends, for example, on Désirée's move from the Valmondé estate to L'Abri, the Aubigny mansion, and the story hints that Armand's first desire for Désirée depended on how she looked with the Valmondé's stone pillar for a backdrop: "It was no wonder, when she stood one day against the stone pillar in whose shadow she had lain asleep, that Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her. That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot. The wonder was that he had not loved her before; for he had known her since his father brought him home from Paris, a boy of eight, after his mother died there". How would you describe the way setting and plot interact in this story?

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Genevieve · Answer 1

In this story, Chopin introduces a setting that is most likely that of the Antebellum South. We can guess this based on the names of places and people, the events that occur, the way of thinking of each person and the conflict of the story. Race relations play an important role in the story, as this is what leads to the ultimate tragedy of Desiree. However, such tragedy would not be possible in another context, as race would not have been as important in a different setting. Therefore, we can see that setting and plot are intrinsically linked in the story.