The significance of the unique properties of the letter as making the entire plot possible in the first place is important to analyze. Therefore, after explaining the most important vocabulary concerning temporality in narration, I will look at the temporal structure of the short story and Chopin's use of analepses in order to convey background information on the characters.
I will also engage with significant other features of the story in terms of time vocabulary. In the last part of my paper, I will combine my findings on the temporality in the story and an interpretation to show how the construction of chronology is questioned, especially with regard to the letter, but also other themes in the story, and what these findings might reveal on the overall interpretation of the story.
Kate Chopin's "The Father of Désirée's Baby" or in short "Désirée's Baby" has so far mostly been analyzed in terms of its racial implications and its engagement with such topics as racism, passing, and miscegenation. No specific research has been done on the temporality in the story and its significance for the interpretation of the story. When reading through the short story, it becomes clear that the construction of chronology is questioned in the story and that the most important feature is the letter.
The letter as a medium as such is already ambiguous in its temporality, as it has a different relation to chronology than the fictional narration. The letter and the information it conveys first have to be written and sent, before the information can be passed on. But the letter also may be read over and over again. Thus, the letter in itself constitutes the possibility of a disruption of the chronology that usually underlies a narration.
However, in this particular short story, the letter, revealing the "truth", is placed at the very end. The usual chronology of tensed time and metrical time is thus even more questioned. It can be said that only through this ambiguous temporal role of the letter as being in two times at the same time and through presenting the option of being read at all times, the plot of the story works in the first place.
The letter simultaneously 'participates' in two temporalities: As the content of the letter is at the beginning, it is the origin of the problem, but it is only found by Armand at the very end and is, therefore, at the same time the solution to the conflict.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Main Part
2.1 Désirée’s Baby”: Temporal Structure and Anachronies in the Story
2.2 Interpretation of Temporality in the Story- The Significance of the Letter
3. Conclusion
4. List of Works Cited
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines the temporal structures and narrative techniques in Kate Chopin’s short story "Désirée’s Baby," specifically focusing on how the use of analepses and the unique temporal properties of a hidden letter disrupt conventional notions of chronology and "truth."
- The intersection of temporality and narrative structure.
- Disruptions of chronology through the role of the letter as an ambiguous medium.
- The relationship between discourse time and story time.
- The construction of "truth" and racial identity as social constructs.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2 Interpretation of Temporality in the Story- The Significance of the Letter
As already mentioned above, there are several instances in which chronology is disrupted. The most important one is Armand’s mother’s letter. The temporal placement of the letter and the temporal figuration of the letter in the case of the mother’s letter is that it was written and sent before the start of the actual plot/discourse of the short story. The “knowledge” or the written word of Armand’s “true” racial background, therefore, was already among Armand’s possessions or at least physically existed the entire time, yet Chopin only lets him find it at the very end of the story. Chronologically seen, the letter or what the letter reveals lies before the events of the plot. The content of the letter, thus, contains the solution and simultaneously is the entire reason/origin of the plot and of the content of the story, as it contains information on Armand that Armand is not aware of. So, the content of the letter or what the letter reveals, the writing and sending of the letter all happened before Armand even married Désirée, yet Chopin puts the letter at the end of the plot, through which she questions this construction of chronology in tensed time (A-Series temporality) and metrical time (B-Series temporality). The fact that this information of Armand’s racial heritage was already in this letter way before the start of the plot and that the letter was already there the entire time, basically waiting to be read, but that the moment when it is read is placed at the very last moment in the plot, disrupts the chronology
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the focus on temporality in "Désirée’s Baby" and argues that the letter is the primary feature disrupting the narrative's chronology.
2. Main Part: This section provides an analysis of temporal terminology, explores the use of analepses, and interprets the significance of the letter as a catalyst for questioning fixed truths.
3. Conclusion: The final chapter synthesizes findings to argue that "truth" and history are constructs, and that the story uses temporal ambiguity to reveal the fictional nature of racial hierarchies.
4. List of Works Cited: This section lists the primary and secondary sources used in the analysis.
Keywords
Temporality, Narrative, Kate Chopin, Désirée’s Baby, Chronology, Analepsis, Discourse, Letter, Racial Construct, Whiteness, Blackness, A-Series, B-Series, Ellipsis, Truth
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the temporal structure of Kate Chopin’s short story "Désirée’s Baby," analyzing how the narrative handles time and chronology.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The central themes include the disruption of chronology, the role of letters in narrative, the social construction of racial identity, and the questioning of "truth."
What is the main research question or objective?
The objective is to show how the temporal placement and properties of the letter within the story disrupt conventional chronology and reveal racial hierarchies as social constructs.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author uses narrative theory, referencing scholars such as Gérard Genette, to analyze the distinction between story level (what happened) and discourse level (how it is told).
What topics are covered in the main part?
The main part covers definitions of temporal terminology like analepsis and ellipsis, an analysis of the story's timeline, and a detailed interpretation of the letter's significance.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include temporality, narrative, chronology, analepsis, discourse, racial construct, and the story’s title, "Désirée’s Baby."
How does the letter act as a temporal device?
The letter exists in two times simultaneously: it contains information from the past that predates the story, but it is only "activated" or read at the very end, causing a disruption in the plot.
Why does the author argue that "truth" is a construct in this story?
The author argues this because the characters' perceptions of "whiteness" and "blackness" are revealed to be based on false assumptions, demonstrating that these truths are socially constructed rather than fixed realities.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Katharina Gerhardt (Autor:in), 2018, The Significance of the Letter. Temporality in "Désirée's Baby" by Kate Chopin, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/500479
