When I think of starting over, I often remember Armand in the story of “Désirée Bébé”. Armand, the protagonist of the story, lit a bonfire to try to erase the memory of his wife Désirée and his son. Armand's bonfire symbolizes Armand's desire to start over and forget his past. Throughout the short story, many symbolic elements were used to convey a central message, including the discussion of symbols of racism, social class distinction, and symbolic elements involving the difference between gender roles. In “Desiree Baby,” the author, Chopin emphasizes racism by selecting certain words to symbolize the association between light and darkness and the slaves on the plantation. The association between light and darkness played a major role in the outcome of this story. Désirée, Armand's wife, has always been associated with things of lightness. As Desiree recovered from the birth of their son, she lay on the couch in her "soft white chiffons and lace" (Valencia Community College). When Desiree confronts her husband about their child's race, Desiree's skin pigmentation is whiter than her husband's. Désirée shows Armand the letter from Valmonde, the book says that it looked like an image of white, immobile stone. In October, when Désirée was abandoned by Armand, she left still wearing the white garment and slippers. Armand and the baby have always been associated with darkness throughout history. Armand's complexion was darker than his wife's. The story also describes Armand's face as dark and handsome. The baby's association with darkness occurred when the baby was lying on Désirée's mahogany bed. Mahogany is a dark brown colored wood. Another simile of the chi...... middle of paper ...... character, Zandrine, helps to round out the story and progression of Armand's developing character. Towards the end of the story, Armand lights a bonfire. on the stake. The bonfire symbolized Armand getting rid of all his memories of his wife and child. Throughout this article, I have shared Chopin's use of symbolic elements by discussing symbols of racism, social class distinction, and symbolic elements involving the difference between gender roles. At the end of the story Armand reads a letter from his mother to his father. Armand then discovers that his mother is of African origin; he lost his marriage and his family. Works Cited Cummings, Michael. “Cummings Study Guide.” Cummings Study Guide. Michael Cummings, 2010. The web. March 25, 2011. “Desiree Baby.” Valencia Community College. Valencia Community College, nd Web. March 26 2011.