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Désirée Aubigny
The young mistress of the L’Abri plantation, wife of Armand Aubigny, and new mother of a baby boy. Désirée is the beloved adopted child of parents who could not have their own children, and even as a young wife and mother, she is childlike in her innocence. Her mistaken belief that she is of mixed racial heritage, and her husband’s rejection of her, destroy her will to live, and she drowns herself and her child.
Read an in-depth analysis of Désirée Aubigny.
Armand Aubigny
Owner of L’Abri plantation and proud, moody husband of Désirée. Armand does not know that his mother, who died in Paris when he was young, was Black. Happy and gentle when pleased, Armand turns against his wife, his son, and the enslaved people on his plantation when he believes his honor has been stained. The story hints that he may have a son with La Blanche and that this son is half-brother to Désirée’s baby. When he finally learns the truth about his heritage from his mother’s letter, he hides the letter and tells no one.
Read an in-depth analysis of Armand Aubigny.
Madame Valmondé
Désirée’s devoted mother and mistress of the Valmondé plantation. Madame Valmondé loves her unexpected daughter unconditionally. She realizes the truth about her grandson before Désirée does and urges her daughter to bring the child home, where they both will be loved.
Monsieur Valmondé
Désirée’s father and owner of Valmondé plantation. Monsieur Valmondé adopts Désirée and tries to ensure her happiness when he asks Armand to consider the unknowns of his daughter’s parentage.
Monsieur Aubigny
Armand’s father and the prior owner of L’Abri. He met and married Armand’s mother in Paris and returned to Louisiana after her death, when Armand was eight. He was an “easy-going and indulgent” master of the plantation.
Madame Aubigny
Armand’s loving mother, who died when he was eight. A Black woman, she met and married Armand’s father in Paris, where they could live, at that time, as an interracial couple. Her letter reveals that it is Armand, not Désirée, who has mixed racial heritage.
Désirée’s Baby Boy
An unnamed son who is at first Armand’s pride and then his shame. Chopin never names this child. Without his father’s protection—the same protection Armand received when a child from his own father, ironically—he is outcast even as an infant.
Zandrine
An enslaved person at L’Abri. Zandrine is the baby’s nurse and caretaker and seems to realize, shortly after his birth, that he is of mixed race.
La Blanche
An enslaved person at L’Abri. La Blanche (“the white lady”) is a light-skinned Black woman with whom the narrator implies Armand had sex, resulting in a child who is likewise enslaved.
La Blanche’s Son
An enslaved child at L’Abri. This son’s features and skin color alert Désirée to the fact that her son, like La Blanche’s, is of mixed race. He may be Armand’s son.
