In-Class Writing pt. ii

There is a clear difference between Desiree and the other people in her village. Throughout the whole book, Desiree's thinks and acts differently to them. Page 60 is particularly indicative of that. Desiree goes the village elder, Monsieur Bienconnu to ask him about Daniel's family, and he tells her the story of the Beauxhomme family. But Desiree only hears the parts that she wants to hear; that peasants have been with their family in the past. M. Bienconnu gives her advice about the situation, saying "'Ma belle,' he said gently, 'To be tranquil, one must hang one's hat where one can reach it. Keep one's heart where one can feel its beat" (60 Guy). He is saying that she must have reasonable dreams that she can attain. It truly represents how the villagers think because that is the way they must think, for their survival. These villagers do not have much and therefore they cannot afford to think like Desiree does. They must work to keep living. Desiree, on the other hand, dreams for more and maybe even thinks that she deserves it. And her reaction to his advice shows this. She thinks that because she survives the storm, she can do and want anything. She doesn't have that feeling to survive because she has always been taken care of, by her parents, by the other villagers, even by the gods. Her mindset because of her past determines her actions in the future.