La Belle Zoraïde by Kate Chopin
"La Belle Zoraïde" by Kate Chopin is a poignant narrative set in the cultural backdrop of Louisiana, specifically the Bayou St. John. The story is conveyed through the voice of Manna-Loulou, a slave who narrates the tragic tale of Zoraïde, a strikingly beautiful enslaved woman. Zoraïde is caught in a web of societal expectations and personal desires, as she is pressured by her mistress, Madame Delarivière, to marry a man she does not love, Monsieur Ambroise. Instead, Zoraïde falls for Mézor, a field hand, leading to a forbidden romance. The narrative explores themes of love, loss, and the psychological impact of enslavement, particularly as Zoraïde's life spirals into tragedy after being separated from both her lover and her child, whom her mistress takes away under the guise of death.
As Zoraïde grapples with this profound grief, she ultimately descends into madness, clinging to a rag bundle that represents her lost child. The story not only highlights the personal suffering of Zoraïde but also critiques the oppressive structures of the time that deny her agency and happiness. The emotional depth of "La Belle Zoraïde" invites readers to reflect on the complexities of love and the dire consequences of systemic oppression within the context of 19th-century America.
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La Belle Zoraïde by Kate Chopin
First published: 1893
Type of plot: Social realism, regional, frame story
Time of work: Before the American Civil War
Locale: Bayou St. John, Louisiana
Principal Characters:
Manna-Loulou , a slave womanMadame Delise , her white mistressZoraïde , the beautiful, tragic slave of Madame DelarivièreMézor , the slave Zoraïde lovesMadame Delarivière , godmother and mistress of Zoraïde
The Story
On a warm and humid summer evening on the Bayou St. John in Louisiana, Manna-Loulou, a slave of Madame Delise, recalls the refrain of a Creole love song. The song reminds Manna-Loulou of the story of Zoraïde, and she decides that instead of making up a bedtime story for her mistress this evening, she will instead tell her this true tragic tale. Manna-Loulou then recounts the story of beautiful Zoraïde to her mistress in Creole patois.
Manna-Loulou's story beings with a description of the lovely Zoraïde, who is a Creole beauty with light skin and a slim graceful figure. She is the slave and goddaughter of Madame Delarivière. It is Madame Delarivière's desire that Zoraïde marry a mulatto, Monsieur Ambroise, who belongs to Dr. Langlè. Dr. Langlè is a friend and admirer of Madame Delarivière. However, Zoraïde despises the ugly Monsieur Ambroise, whom she describes as cruel and false. She cleverly contrives to avoid this match so often suggested by her mistress by claiming she is not yet ready to marry anyone. Madame Delarivière accepts this excuse because she does not really want to part with her dear Zoraïde, despite her insistence that this marriage take place.
Zoraïde eventually does fall in love but not with Monsieur Ambroise. Instead she loses her heart to Mézor. The first time she sees Mézor, he is dancing the Bamboula, a sensual Creole dance. The captivating dark-skinned Mézor is a field hand who also belongs to Dr. Langlè. When Madame Delarivière learns Zoraïde is in love with and intends to marry Mézor, she becomes distraught. She thinks Mézor is an unworthy match for her beloved goddaughter, so she demands that Zoraïde never speak to Mézor again. Zoraïde and Mézor, however, continue to see each other, and soon Zoraïde becomes pregnant. When she confesses this to Madame Delarivière, the white woman becomes very angry and persuades Dr. Langlè to sell Mézor to a plantation far away.
Devastated to be separated from her beloved Mézor, Zoraïde is comforted somewhat by knowing that she will soon have a baby to love and cherish. However, after Zoraïde gives birth, Madame Delarivière arranges for the baby to be sent away. When Zoraïde asks for her baby, she is told the child is dead.
Zoraïde never recovers from this cruel blow, and after a few years of continual anguish, she lapses into madness. She begins to clutch and carry with her a bundle of rags, the size and shape of a baby, convinced that this is her child. None of Madame Delarivière's attempts to persuade Zoraïde to part with this rag bundle is successful. Finally, desperate to restore her favored goddaughter to sanity, Madame Delarivière sends for Zoraïde's child, who is by now a toddler. Fearing a trick, Zoraïde rejects the child and lives the rest of her long life devoted to the rag bundle and forever tormented by her loss.
When Manna-Loulou finishes her story, Madame Delise makes only one comment. She says, rather sleepily, that she feels most sorry for Zoraïde's child.
Bibliography
Beer, Janet. Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Studies in Short Fiction. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Beer, Janet, and Elizabeth Nolan, eds. Kate Chopin's "The Awakening": A Sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 2004.
Bonner, Thomas, Jr. The Kate Chopin Companion. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
Boren, Lynda S., and Sara de Saussure Davis, eds. Kate Chopin Reconsidered: Beyond the Bayou. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1992.
Koloski, Bernard. Kate Chopin: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1996.
Petry, Alice Hall, ed. Critical Essays on Kate Chopin. New York: G. K. Hall, 1996.
Skaggs, Peggy. Kate Chopin. Boston: Twayne, 1985.
Stein, Allen F. Women and Autonomy in Kate Chopin's Short Fiction. New York: Peter Lang, 2005.
Taylor, Helen. Gender, Race, and Religion in the Writings of Grace King, Ruth McEnery Stuart, and Kate Chopin. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1989.
Toth, Emily. Kate Chopin. New York: William Morrow, 1990.
Toth, Emily. Unveiling Kate Chopin. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1999.