Literature of the United States

Another issue on the subject is that the whites were most successful in spreading their racism among their own offspring. «The whites practiced widespread sexual trafficking in African slaves which produced Mulatto babies who, due to the resentment instilled by their fathers, grew up to resent the race of their mothers» [Williams 50]. This quote is significant because it reveals one of the main methods through which whites were able to spread their prejudice among people who shared an African lineage and once more showing the purity of the white race. (Williams, Chancellor. The Destruction of Black Civilization. Chicago: Third World Press, 1987)
Kate Chopin (1851–1904) emerged as one of the greatest as well as most admired American short story writers, novelists, poets, and essayists. In many of Chopin’s stories she has transcended simple regionalism and portrayed women who seek spiritual and sexual freedom amidst the restrictive mores of nineteenth-century Southern society. She brought attention to the racial issues that existed during the times of slavery through her short story «Désirée’s Baby» which introduces the two main characters in the story, Désirée and Armand, and creates many symbolisms, ironies, and themes seen throughout the story.
It is a tragic tale of race and gender in antebellum Louisiana. Desiree is deeply in love with her husband Armand, and he is a loving husband and proud father until he notices their infant’s dark skin. Because Desiree was abandoned as a child, her ancestry is unknown. Armand concludes that she is not white and tells her to leave. His rejection drives Desiree to take her own life and that of the baby. A few weeks later, Armand discovers that he is of mixed ancestry.
The following extracts will clearly describe the content of the story concerning the race problems of that time.
1. «Oh, Armand is the proudest father in the parish, I believe, chiefly because it is a boy, to bear his name… he hasn’t punished one of them – not one of them – since baby is born… Oh, mamma, I’m so happy; it frightens me.»
2. «When the baby was about three months old … a strange, an awful change in her husband’s manner, which she dared not ask him to explain…. The old love-light seemed to have gone out…. Spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves.»
3. Desiree’s eyes had been fixed absently and sadly upon the baby… Ah! It was a cry that she couldn’t help… The blood turned like ice in her veins…»
«Tell me what it means!»
«It means,» he answered lightly, «that the child is not white, it means that you are not white.»
4. My mother, they tell me I’m not white. Armand has told me I am not white. For God’s sake tell them it is not true… I shall die. I must die…»
The answer that came was brief: «My own Desiree: Come home to Valmonde: back to your mother who loves you.come with your child.»
5. Desiree has to bear the heaviest burden, being driven away from love and safety, left bereft. She has nothing but despair, and so drowns herself and her baby in the bayou.
Once Desiree and baby died, Armand found a letter of his mother written to his father. In the last words of the story, the tragic irony of it all occurs:
«…night and day, I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery.»
The story doesn’t only confront the racial issues that took place during the time of slavery but also draws upon the reader’s emotions to experience how people thought during that time period.
The word «stereotype» comes with negative connotations because it is generally used to describe an off-putting generalization. It becomes necessary though when talking about facets of something like a certain group of people or culture. The other problem with stereotypes is the way they vary from person to person. One person might assume one thing about a certain group of people while another might assume the opposite, making universal stereotyping difficult. It is up to both the author and the reader to determine whether or not a work falls under the category of African American literature.
In recent decades, scholars and readers have criticized the book «Uncle Tom’s Cabin» for what are seen as condescending racist descriptions of the book's black characters, especially with regard to the characters' appearances, speech, and behavior, as well as the passive nature of Uncle Tom in accepting his fate. The novel's creation and use of common stereotypes about African Americans is important because Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel in the world during the 19th century. As a result, the book (along with images illustrating the book and associated stage productions) had a major role in permanently ingraining these stereotypes into the American psyche.
Among the stereotypes of blacks in Uncle Tom's Cabin are: The «happy darky» (in the lazy, carefree character of Sam);
The light-skinned tragic mulatto as a sex object (in the characters of Eliza, Cassy, and Emmeline);
The affectionate, dark-skinned female mammy (through several characters, including Mammy, a cook at the St. Clare plantation).
The Pickaninny stereotype of black children (in the character of Topsy);