L’abri, Beauty, and the Beast

L’abri, Beauty, and the Beast
    The story “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chapin takes place before the Civil War on a plantation in Louisiana. Desiree, a toddler, was found asleep by a big stone pillar on the Valmondi plantation and adopted by the plantation owners. She grew up to be a beautiful young lady with all of the charm of a Southern Belle. Armand returned home from Paris when he was eight years old after his mother died. He was raised by his father and grew up to be a Southern Gentlemen. Armand fell in love with Desiree the very first time he laid eyes upon her. Armand was warned that Desiree’s origin was unknown but he was so in love that he didn’t care. Armand’s remark was “He was going to give her the oldest and proudest name in Louisiana”. Shortly after the young couple married, they had a baby boy and their lives appeared to be a fantasy love story. Little did Desiree know that on a beautiful October day, her life on the plantation would be traumatized by the one she loved.   The factors leading to Desiree’s tragic ending are the plantation setting and Armand’s personality which changed from good to evil.
    Madame Valmonde described L’Abri (French for shelter), the Aubigney's Plantation as “A sad looking place, which for many years had not known the gentle presence of a mistress”. The house was yellow stucco with a steep roof, black like a cowl, and surrounded by big solemn oak trees. As you pass through the gate, the slaves can be seen working in the fields. The slave’s life is described by ushistory.org as “Life on the fields meant working sunup to sundown six days a week and having food sometimes not suitable for an animal to eat.” The setting was picturesque; a lush green landscape surrounded the southern plantation during the pre Civil War era in Louisiana. It was a time of slavery and Armand was the master who ruled with an iron fist, unlike his father before him who was easy going. The slaves feared Armand and had forgotten how their lives...