Introduction
Desiree Aubigny, like Faith Brown, is a gentle and devoted young wife. They married their husbands for love and did not regret what they had done, did not suffer from conscience or doubts (it seems at least). The figure of Faith’s husband is quite controversial, although the text clearly and in detail demonstrates to the author that Faith loves him. She gently addresses him, escorts her husband from home, and shows concern. Desiree’s husband is a strict and even cruel man, the owner of a large plantation. In addition, he is a well-known slave owner who never shows sympathy or understanding for his slaves. Desiree Aubigny gives birth to a child of mixed race. The husband suspects Desiree is of mixed origin and demonstrates that he is very disappointed in his wife. Desiree leaves her home and goes with the child to her mother, seeing her husband’s true face. While some similarities between Desiree Aubigny and Faith Brown are evident, they are different in the aspects of independence/dependence, conflicts/trials faced, and journeys, either physical or symbolic.
Independence
Desiree Aubigny and Faith Brown have varying degrees of dependence on their husbands, and readers can trace this fact in detail in the text. Desiree Aubigny is not just a gentle, devoted, and kind wife but shows genuine affection and dependence on her husband. She lives for his look, word, and approval. When this approval fades, Desiree becomes nervous and loses control of her feelings. She also boasts to her mother about how proud her husband is of her.
In the case of Desiree, only the fact that her husband rejects her allows her to gain independence. Her fate and ordinary life are cut short when her husband (who, under the influence of his wife and her pregnancy, even began to communicate with slaves condescendingly) severely accuses her of mixed origin. She tries to deny everything, and she wants to prove to him that she deserves to be called his wife, the wife of Armand.
Having gained independence and seeing the natural face of her husband, who has wholly cooled towards her, Desiree cannot hold her head proudly. She is also shocked by the accusations against her and shows her husband her white skin, brown hair, and gray eyes. Her origins are obvious to Desiree, and the allegations seem absurd. Desiree wants to enlist the help and support of her adoptive mother. She writes her a letter of complaint, where she talks about the terrible attitude of her husband. Desiree’s mother does not give the desired reaction, and she invites her daughter to return to her house with the child.
The scene in Armand’s office, when Desiree gives him the letter, is also enjoyable. Being a naive young girl, Desiree expects her husband to keep her and asks her to stay. She believes that an invitation from her mother can frighten her husband, but this does not happen, and the husband indifferently waits for the moment when Desiree leaves his cabinet and then the house. Until the last moment, Desiree hopes that her husband will change his mind, but this does not happen.
In the situation with Faith, there is no direct development of the independence line from the husband or relatives. She is initially independent, although she loves her husband and treats him with great respect. A reader can see how Faith and thoughts about Faith excite the mind of her husband. He worries about his wife and tries to imagine what she thinks about when he is not home. He enjoys talking to her so much that he pauses before going into the forest. Despite Faith’s behavior, her thoughts remain independent throughout the story. She does not open up with her husband, and other people do not share secrets and thoughts. Her motivation is not completely clear to her husband, so in the end, he becomes a cold and cynical person who does not know how to trust.
As a result, we can say that Desiree Aubigny demonstrates complete suppression by the figure of her husband. She belongs to him, being a free woman, but behaves like a child with him. Faith Brown is initially an independent person who her husband appreciates. While Desiree Aubigny lives by her husband’s word, all the way to being cruelly rejected by him, Faith Brown contemplates betrayal while being a young wife.
Different Trials
In the center of which is Desiree, the conflict is racial prejudice, which is a vice for the entire society of that time. She cannot change her husband; she cannot change his worldview, his slave-owning family, and is forced to take it for granted. Armand cannot forgive her for the shame inflicted on her, and his family’s reputation has suffered because of Desiree. Likewise, Desiree cannot fight the prejudices of an entire society, strong and diverse. The ordeal that Desiree goes through is due to factors that she cannot control. These circumstances frustrate her very much; she feels the absurdity of the situation but cannot resist. As a result of the ordeal, she leaves her husband’s house with the child.
The Faith Brown challenge is a profoundly existential challenge of personal choice. She ponders this choice and makes a decision, although she could immediately discard any doubts. She would remain a loving, gentle, and godly wife to Goodman. She is free to refuse to do this if she chooses righteousness. Faith bears full responsibility for what happened since she is not a victim of circumstances like Desiree. She disappoints her husband and turns him into a cold and distrustful man who in the future will live a gloomy and dull life without becoming attached to anyone.
The critical conflict faced by Faith Brown is within her control and subject to her will, though social pressures also play their part; meanwhile, the fundamental conflict faced by Desiree Aubigny is absolutely beyond her power to control. The trials of these two characters are fundamentally different, and if Desiree and Faith had switched places in their trials, they would have passed them differently. Faith realizes that she has disappointed her husband, but Desiree cannot fully accept this psychologically.
Changes
Desiree goes a long way to independence, although it turns into suffering and grief for her. At first, she basks in the riches and love of her husband, being utterly dependent on him, but later she leaves his house with nothing, feeling betrayed. Desiree goes through some progress, which changes her life and worldview. She irrevocably left home where her husband no longer appreciated her due to prejudice. Leaving her husband is the price she pays for independence and self-identity.
At the beginning of the narrative, Faith is a tender and devoted wife who innocently talks to him. He does not doubt her; he thinks about her and dreams of seeing her sooner. Faith cannot resist the temptation, despite her husband’s attempts to save her. She does not grow morally, although her husband believed in her from the very beginning. Towards the end of the story, her personality is seen as weak and superficial. She understands that she made her husband survive the betrayal, but she is not trying to make amends.
While Faith Brown faces temptation early on in her journey, she does not grow stronger by it; meanwhile, Desiree Aubigny is forced to face the reality of her society. Faith does not seem to feel guilty before her husband; she chooses her own. Desiree does not understand why she should feel guilty for her origin and the prejudices of other people, so she quickly leaves her husband’s house.
Conclusion
Although the authors show Faith and Desiree at the beginning of the stories as kind and honest young wives, they are in varying degrees of dependence on their husbands and in different ways to cope with the circumstances in which they find themselves on the path of life. To begin with, Faith Brown starts displaying much more independence by deceiving her husband than Desiree Aubigny, who lives by her husband’s word. Secondly, the trials Desiree faces come altogether from outside, while those of Faith Brown are mainly due to an inner conflict between good and evil. Lastly, while Desiree’s journey leads her from happiness to being in touch with dark realities, Faith’s journey does not implicate moral growth, as the reader never learns whether she has changed.