Over the years, many variations of ideas about race, class, and culture have been presented based on different factors. In the past, people's opinions were not at all the same as they are today. Ideas that women had a place in the kitchen or that African Americans were an inferior race were common. These opinions were very popular at the time of Kate Chopin's book "Desiree's Baby." Chopin's book explores the controversial areas of race and class and addresses the subject of culture. “Desiree’s Baby” shows Desiree’s life from childhood to adulthood. Young Désirée was found alone in the street by a rich family. Even at a time when race and class mattered to the wealthy, a wealthy couple took in young Désirée without knowing her ancestral origins. Désirée lived a beautiful life with the family. The story then shifts to the time when Désirée was a young adult and fell in love with Armand Aubigny. Armand also comes from a wealthy background and still falls in love with Désirée without knowing her racial origin. Eventually, the young couple have a baby but, to their surprise, the baby comes out with African features. Armand is not happy and wonders if she has African origins or if she may have had an affair with a slave. Désirée's mother suggests that she and the baby come back and stay with them, but when Désirée leaves, she disappears and is never seen again. Later, Armand discovers that it is perhaps not Désirée who has African roots but himself, on his mother's side. Overall, Chopin's work examines controversial issues of race, class, gender, and culture using irony and storyline to infer viewpoints on these topics. Chopin establishes the inferiority of African Americans...... middle of paper. ..... race, class, gender and culture were very important during this time and Chopin makes sure to address these issues. Every time someone reads a book, they can delve deeper into history and discover much of the ideas and beliefs of the people of that era. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. Désirée's baby. Voices among women. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2009. 93-98. Print."Culture." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, and Web. March 1, 2014. Korb, Rena. "Critical essay on 'Désirée's baby'." Short stories for students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Flight. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Information Resource Center. Internet. March 01, 2014.Toth, Emily. "Kate Chopin and the Literary Convention: 'Désirée's Baby'." in Southern Studies 20.2 (Summer 1981): 201-208. Rep. in Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Flight. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Information Resource Center. Internet. March 1. 2014.