Did Armand truly love Desiree?

Love — and what this means to different people — is
inherent in “Desiree’s Baby.” Armand hardly seems to truly love Desiree; rather, he “had
fallen in love with her . . . as if struck by a pistol shot.” It seems more a passion
that he feels for Desiree, not any deep-seated feeling or emotion. Indeed, Armand has
known Desiree for years and never felt any feelings for her. Although the softening
effect their marriage has on Armand is apparent — and this could derive from love —
Armand seems to view Desiree more as a possession, something that reflects his status.
After the birth of their child, Armand’s love for Désirée quickly dies, for she brings
shame upon his name. That his love for her could so easily be transformed demonstrates
its superficial quality. For her part, Desiree truly loves Armand. Her world seems to
hinge on his thoughts and feelings. When he begins to avoid her, “Desiree was miserable
enough to die.”

Armand, though he later finds out the truth
about his own heritage, wants Desiree to leave his house because she has besmirched his
name through the child she bears. When Desiree leaves his house, she does not return to
the Valmondes, as her mother implored. Her decision to walk off into the bayou with her
child, to certain death, shows her inability to forge an identity for herself. She feels
cut off from both of her former lives. She also may be grappling with the knowledge of
her child’s newly discovered African-American ancestry, though there is little evidence
of that in the story. Instead, what seems to trouble her the most is her rejection by
Armand. That her reaction to his rejection is so extreme demonstrates the depth of
feeling she has regarding his love and her identity both being taken from
her.