The mood of "Désirée’s Baby" is characterized by a sense of foreboding. It’s clear from the story’s opening, when Madame Valmondé comes to visit, that her perspective on both L’Abri and her daughter’s situation is laced with fear and anxiety. As she arrives at the plantation, she reflects on the dereliction of her daughter’s new home:
Madame Valmondé had not seen Désirée and the baby for four weeks. When she reached L’Abri she shuddered at the first sight of it, as she always did. It was a sad looking place, which for many years had not known the gentle presence of a mistress...
Madame Valmondé’s sense of the darkness of L’Abri and her desire to ensure Désirée’s safety is an example of the ominous mood, which only darkens as the story continues. Similarly, Désirée’s slow realization that something is amiss further propels the story. Her eventual confrontation with Armand is a catalyst for the cruelty and bigotry that has been growing throughout, and the story ends without hope or resolution. And yet, the story’s conclusion is without dread or foreboding. Instead, the ending is very matter-of-fact and straightforward: once Chopin has built a mood of fear and darkness, the cruel and tragic outcome of the events happens without much fanfare, thus underlining how cold and unforgiving the world can be.
