“Desiree's Baby” and “An Act of Vengeance” are two short stories by Kate Chopin and Isabelle Allende that use similar and different techniques to contribute and deliver each theme of stories. Thanks to the author's choice of irony and foreshadowing, each story offers the same technique to convey different meanings. Together, the characters, symbols, and events in each story demonstrate the overarching theme of honor that both women feel obligated to. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIn "Desiree's Baby" a young woman is the adopted daughter of a wealthy French family who falls in love with Armand, the son of another wealthy family. The story is set in Louisiana and racism is prominent. Armand and Desiree decide to get married and she gives birth to her son, their son is born with a different skin color and Armand grows cold. As a result, Desiree flees into the Bayou with her son and ends up committing suicide by drowning. Weeks later, Armand discovers some where; his mother reveals that she is black. His mother ends the letter by thanking God for her husband's love and Armand comes to terms with realizing what a blended family is. In this story the author uses "foreshadowing" to tease what will happen next in the story and help support the meaning. The author chooses to give clues as to what will happen in the story; an example of this is “It was a sad-looking place, which for many years had not known the kind presence of a lover.” This represents that from the way Armand's mansion is depicted, there is a dark secret within him which in this case involves race. An example is “He just laughed and said Negrillion was a great scoundrel. Oh my, I'm so happy it scares me." This is a hint that things are going too well in the relationship considering Armand's behavior. Then, Armand discovers that the child is not white and is quick to blame Desiree “Look at my hand; whiter than yours Armand laughed hysterically." This is another example of how the author aims to portray Armand who is so cold and cannot look inside himself. Armand wants to honor his family and consequently does what he wants by sending Desiree and the baby away. The author mentions throughout the story that Armand is black and Desiree is white. By using "foreshadowing" the author is able to indicate the relationship between Armand and Desiree, thus describing the series of future events and the reasons why they occur. In “An Act of Vengeance” ” a young girl is killed and then raped by her father's killer named “Tacedo Cespedes”. She then tries to plot against him for all the pain and suffering he has caused, but ends up falling in love as a result. At the end of the story, she ends up being consumed by guilt and honors her dead father by killing herself before marrying Cespedes. In this story, the author uses foreshadowing to convey to the reader the series of events that will ultimately conclude the story. An example of this is when Tacedo first meets Dulce Rosa: “During his twenty-five years he had neither time to learn poetry nor to look at a woman.” This illustrates his emotionless state and he will soon fall in love with Dulce Rosa because he has not learned to love. Another example of how her revenge plan foreshadows what will happen in the story is "She knew she would live to punish her tormentor." Dulce Rosa would be forever haunted by her father's death and would want to honor him. Tadeo's dream is an example of how their love grows and foreshadows his future death. This example is “his reddened rags, sunk in the compassionate embrace.