The Confinement of Women in Desirees Baby - Book Report/Review Example

There would be no powerful will bending hers in blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in a brief moment of illumination. (Story 2) For her, freedom was only possible in the death of her husband, not in his life. She was not sad at his death, because it meant that she would finally be able to make her own decisions, finally able to live her own life.

Yet the story can not end there. The reader is told early in the story that Louise has a weak heart, and would be stressed by the news. When the doctors arrive to check her and make sure she is well, another person also arrives-her husband. The story ends "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills" (Story 3). To the very end, she was controlled by her husband and the shock at realizing that all the joy she had felt was too soon killed her. Even her death was determined by the actions of a man.

For Desiree, of "Desiree's Baby," the misery in her life is no less evident. She is happy with her husband, and they have a great love. . She, who is a very sensitive soul, is glad that the coming of their first child has softened her husband, who is often cruel with the slaves. Then, suddenly, something changed, and the entire mood of the house was different. Desire noticed When he spoke to her, it was with averted eyes, from which the old love-light seemed to have gone out. He absented himself from home; and when there, avoided her presence and that of her child, without excuse.

And the very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves. Desiree was miserable enough to die. (Desiree 3)Something, it seemed, had changed for him, and his mood is what controlled the entire house. When Desiree suddenly realizes that her son is partially black, she goes to her husband to find out why he was black. He explains to her that she must be black. And because she was black, he no longer wanted her. She left, and he burned all her belongings, along with those of the baby.

Yet, in the end, the narrator shares with the reader a note from Armand's past. His mother wrote, "I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery" (Desiree 6). He was so embarrassed by his own history that he was willing to blame it on his wife, and force her to leave, along with his son. For both women, men controlled their actions. For Desiree, the fault was clearly hers, and she was forced to leave.

For Louise, her only freedom came with her husband's death. Both women were limited in their movements by men but in different ways.