In “Désirée’s Baby,” different characters discover and understand that Désirée’s baby is mixed-race at different times. Analyze how the intervals between these characters discovering the truth creates suspense and tension in the story, and consider: what does it say about Désirée that she’s the last to know?

Why do you think Désirée chooses not to go back home to Valmondé, even when her mother invites her? What do you think happens to her and her child after the story ends? What does Chopin intend for the reader to understand about Désirée’s world, that she would choose this ending for herself?

Chopin largely conceals Désirée’s baby from the reader, neglecting to describe him directly but rather using the “little quadroon” (Paragraph 19) boy as a mirror. What is the narrative effect of withholding physical descriptions of the child from the reader? How does this deliberate decision connect to a larger message or theme in the piece?