Desiree's Baby is a short story written by Kate Chopin. It is set in 19th century Louisiana. The story begins with Madame Valmonde coming to visit Desiree and her baby. She thinks back to her memories of Desiree as a child: "It made her laugh to think of Desiree with a baby. Because it seemed like only yesterday that Desiree was little more than a child herself." This quote tells us two things. The first is that Madame Valmonde must have known Desiree as a child and is a close family friend or even a member of the family itself. The second thing is that Desiree is young. The word "child" could mean childlike or physically young. Desiree appeared to be a normal child and had had a normal childhood. The third paragraph tells us more about Desiree's past: "She had been purposely dropped off by a gang of passing Texans." This makes us think that she was abandoned at a very young age outside Madame Valmonde's house. From the fifth paragraph we can also deduce that "She was nameless." No one knew what his name was or what his family origin was. It was all a rumor. Eighteen years later, Armand Aubigny fell in love with Desiree. From the fifth paragraph of the first page we can tell that Armand was very proud of his surname. “What did he care about a name when he could give it one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?” This is a very old-fashioned point of view. For Armand his name was everything. There is a very strong social contrast between the anonymous Desiree and Armand. Signs of racism become evident in the book on page 67: "The rule of young Aubigny was also severe, and because of this his Negroes had forgotten how to be happy." Armand must have treated them very harshly and made them unhappy. His house is described as sad and rather shabby. The second paragraph on page 67 gives the reader a description of the type of house Armand owns. There are muslins, a sofa decorated with lace, there are also slaves. Madame Valmonde's first reaction to the baby was shock and amazement: "This is not the baby!" Theoretically this is not very significant because children tend to grow very quickly and their outward appearance can change very quickly. The eighth paragraph on this page gives us a clue as to why Madame Valmondé was so surprised when she saw the child for the first time. "Madame Valmonde had never taken her eyes off the child. She picked him up and approached the window.