Overview
I decided to combine Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I liked the twist at the end of “Desiree’s Baby” and knew when I got the assignment that I wanted to use that in some way. The film version of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” gave me some idea about the plot of that story and made me want to use it. Although the story is very different from the movie, I still enjoyed and thought that its element of fantasy could work with the twist from “Desiree’s Baby.” I also really liked the idea of naming my mash up “The Curious Case of Desiree’s Baby.” The stories basically picked themselves.
Mash Up
Desiree wanted to leave Nashville. So at nineteen years old she tied up her long auburn-gray hair and bought some new orthopedic shoes. She looked in the mirror at the diminishing wrinkles on her face through eyes that seemed to be seeing more, better. Yes, she thought, I’m reaching my prime. Desiree set out to see what the rest of the South had to offer, whom else she could find to tickle her fancy in her next years of life.
To you or me, Desiree would look like a 50 year old woman. We know that one starts an infant and moves toward adulthood growing taller and stronger. We know that people age and lose vitality, become more weary and gray. But for Desiree the process is reversed. She was born talking and walking and weak. She has been waiting to reach her twentieth birthday so her vision would begin to improve and she would be able to put her cane away for good.
The entire year she was away, Desiree failed to correspond with any of her family in Nashville. She missed her mother’s prep school graduation and the birth of her brother’s first child. Her beloved Armand, a man twenty-five years Desiree’s senior, believe he pushed her away with his talk of commitment. No one knew where she went. They had no idea on what adventures she embarked. But they were delighted nonetheless when she returned to Nashville three days after her twentieth birthday, insisting she was ready to marry Armand.
The ceremony was short and quick and ten months later their baby, Benjamin, was born.
When Desiree took Benjamin to see her mother at the assisted living facility where most of Nashville’s elderly had to reside, Desiree’s mother declared, “He funny looking,” before returning to her Lego set.
Young Ben was indeed an oddity in Nashville. He didn’t talk or walk. He only cried. And slept. The nurses at the hospital had him on a special watch because he looked like an elderly man and they thought he would die. After a week, Desiree was allowed to take him home.
Armand was delighted about the birth of his baby boy. While Benjamin was still in the hospital, Armand made all the proper arrangements. He purchased new clothes and a shiny brass walker for his first-born son. Since his own parents were already dead, he knew that Desiree would want to take Benjamin to see her mother. Armand didn’t go with Desiree and Ben, for he hated visiting the assisted living facility. Desiree believed he didn’t want to face what she was sure awaited him in the future. Perhaps there was another reason.
When Armand finally got to see Benjamin, he was flabbergasted.
“That is NOT my son,” Armand insisted.
“What? He most certainly is!” Desiree disputed.
“He doesn’t look right. Why’s he so small? Why doesn’t he talk? He can’t walk. All he does is cry!”
“Well… He just needs some time!”
“You left us and something happened to you. You’re tainted. And now you’ve passed your affliction onto my son! I can’t stay with you.”
And with that, Armand was gone.
As time passes, Desiree realizes that her son is a medical miracle. He is aging forward. For some reason Benjamin grows taller and stronger as he ages. Desiree didn’t know how to raise him at first. She had to teach him to talk. And she was delighted when he finally stopped urinating in his bed.
When Benjamin reached the age of twenty, Desiree’s age and appearance were similar. Benjamin began to look like a very handsome mate for Desiree. People in Nashville begin to wonder whether there was something scandalous going on in Desiree’s home. Soon Desiree had to turn down offers to tell the “true” story to newspaper reporters and on morning news shows. To spare his mother any more disgrace than he must, Benjamin decided to go away to college away from Nashville.
In college Benjamin comes across a stunning young man who looks like the brother he never had. The resemblance strikes Benjamin, since he has no family in Nashville. It was especially odd since this young man’s skin is the color of mocha and Benjamin’s looked more like milk.
Benjamin’s new friend introduced himself as Armand and revealed that he shared Benjamin’s hometown. Benjamin began writing to his mother asking about his family and his father. From Desiree, Benjamin learned that his father was a black man named Armand who left when Benjamin was born.
Benjamin invited Armand to Thanksgiving dinner in Nashville. Apparently the resemblance didn’t strike Armand. Desiree is awestruck at the sight of Armand. She flew into a conniption and told Benjamin that his new friend was actually his father and was not welcomed in her home. She refused to serve Thanksgiving dinner before Armand explained himself.
Armand’s fit was almost equal to Desiree’s. He couldn’t believe that he didn’t recognize Benjamin. He told them that he had to leave to protect his secret. He left abruptly without sharing this secret, leaving Benjamin dumbfounded and Desiree saying, “I told you so.”
Benjamin decided not to go back to college. Instead he stays in Nashville and takes care of Desiree so that she doesn’t have to go to the assisted living facility.
Years passed and Desiree at sixty-five began to look more like forty-five-year-old Benjamin’s young daughter than his elderly mother. One day, when Benjamin and Desiree were playing in the yard, a man approached the gate. Benjamin immediately recognized Armand, but his appearance stunned Benjamin. For Armand still appeared to be the twenty-five-year-old gentleman he was twenty years ago.
“And now, son, you know my secret,” Armand said with his head hanging low, “I am the tainted one. I age neither backward nor forward. I never age.”
Benjamin embraced his father and his mother together. The three of them entered the house and stayed together until Desiree’s last days.
Reflection
I am happy with my mash up. My perceptions of the stories are the same as when I started. I love them both individually. It was a little difficult to combine the stories. Some elements were the same. For example, there was a big deal made about Desiree’s origins when she marries Armand. There is a similar fuss when Benjamin marries Hildegarde. The biggest similarity worked to my advantage. Both stories included a baby that was shrouded in mystery. The twist in “Desiree’s Baby” is that Armand is actually black and I tried to use that in my mash up, by making Armand black but saving that revelation for late in the story. Instead, I decided to use the concept of aging from “Benjamin Button” as the element of secrecy surrounding Armand. Also, because I figured the change from aging backward to forward was obvious, I thought it would be interesting to have a character that doesn’t age at all. I think everything turned out well.
I decided to combine Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I liked the twist at the end of “Desiree’s Baby” and knew when I got the assignment that I wanted to use that in some way. The film version of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” gave me some idea about the plot of that story and made me want to use it. Although the story is very different from the movie, I still enjoyed and thought that its element of fantasy could work with the twist from “Desiree’s Baby.” I also really liked the idea of naming my mash up “The Curious Case of Desiree’s Baby.” The stories basically picked themselves.
Mash Up
Desiree wanted to leave Nashville. So at nineteen years old she tied up her long auburn-gray hair and bought some new orthopedic shoes. She looked in the mirror at the diminishing wrinkles on her face through eyes that seemed to be seeing more, better. Yes, she thought, I’m reaching my prime. Desiree set out to see what the rest of the South had to offer, whom else she could find to tickle her fancy in her next years of life.
To you or me, Desiree would look like a 50 year old woman. We know that one starts an infant and moves toward adulthood growing taller and stronger. We know that people age and lose vitality, become more weary and gray. But for Desiree the process is reversed. She was born talking and walking and weak. She has been waiting to reach her twentieth birthday so her vision would begin to improve and she would be able to put her cane away for good.
The entire year she was away, Desiree failed to correspond with any of her family in Nashville. She missed her mother’s prep school graduation and the birth of her brother’s first child. Her beloved Armand, a man twenty-five years Desiree’s senior, believe he pushed her away with his talk of commitment. No one knew where she went. They had no idea on what adventures she embarked. But they were delighted nonetheless when she returned to Nashville three days after her twentieth birthday, insisting she was ready to marry Armand.
The ceremony was short and quick and ten months later their baby, Benjamin, was born.
When Desiree took Benjamin to see her mother at the assisted living facility where most of Nashville’s elderly had to reside, Desiree’s mother declared, “He funny looking,” before returning to her Lego set.
Young Ben was indeed an oddity in Nashville. He didn’t talk or walk. He only cried. And slept. The nurses at the hospital had him on a special watch because he looked like an elderly man and they thought he would die. After a week, Desiree was allowed to take him home.
Armand was delighted about the birth of his baby boy. While Benjamin was still in the hospital, Armand made all the proper arrangements. He purchased new clothes and a shiny brass walker for his first-born son. Since his own parents were already dead, he knew that Desiree would want to take Benjamin to see her mother. Armand didn’t go with Desiree and Ben, for he hated visiting the assisted living facility. Desiree believed he didn’t want to face what she was sure awaited him in the future. Perhaps there was another reason.
When Armand finally got to see Benjamin, he was flabbergasted.
“That is NOT my son,” Armand insisted.
“What? He most certainly is!” Desiree disputed.
“He doesn’t look right. Why’s he so small? Why doesn’t he talk? He can’t walk. All he does is cry!”
“Well… He just needs some time!”
“You left us and something happened to you. You’re tainted. And now you’ve passed your affliction onto my son! I can’t stay with you.”
And with that, Armand was gone.
As time passes, Desiree realizes that her son is a medical miracle. He is aging forward. For some reason Benjamin grows taller and stronger as he ages. Desiree didn’t know how to raise him at first. She had to teach him to talk. And she was delighted when he finally stopped urinating in his bed.
When Benjamin reached the age of twenty, Desiree’s age and appearance were similar. Benjamin began to look like a very handsome mate for Desiree. People in Nashville begin to wonder whether there was something scandalous going on in Desiree’s home. Soon Desiree had to turn down offers to tell the “true” story to newspaper reporters and on morning news shows. To spare his mother any more disgrace than he must, Benjamin decided to go away to college away from Nashville.
In college Benjamin comes across a stunning young man who looks like the brother he never had. The resemblance strikes Benjamin, since he has no family in Nashville. It was especially odd since this young man’s skin is the color of mocha and Benjamin’s looked more like milk.
Benjamin’s new friend introduced himself as Armand and revealed that he shared Benjamin’s hometown. Benjamin began writing to his mother asking about his family and his father. From Desiree, Benjamin learned that his father was a black man named Armand who left when Benjamin was born.
Benjamin invited Armand to Thanksgiving dinner in Nashville. Apparently the resemblance didn’t strike Armand. Desiree is awestruck at the sight of Armand. She flew into a conniption and told Benjamin that his new friend was actually his father and was not welcomed in her home. She refused to serve Thanksgiving dinner before Armand explained himself.
Armand’s fit was almost equal to Desiree’s. He couldn’t believe that he didn’t recognize Benjamin. He told them that he had to leave to protect his secret. He left abruptly without sharing this secret, leaving Benjamin dumbfounded and Desiree saying, “I told you so.”
Benjamin decided not to go back to college. Instead he stays in Nashville and takes care of Desiree so that she doesn’t have to go to the assisted living facility.
Years passed and Desiree at sixty-five began to look more like forty-five-year-old Benjamin’s young daughter than his elderly mother. One day, when Benjamin and Desiree were playing in the yard, a man approached the gate. Benjamin immediately recognized Armand, but his appearance stunned Benjamin. For Armand still appeared to be the twenty-five-year-old gentleman he was twenty years ago.
“And now, son, you know my secret,” Armand said with his head hanging low, “I am the tainted one. I age neither backward nor forward. I never age.”
Benjamin embraced his father and his mother together. The three of them entered the house and stayed together until Desiree’s last days.
Reflection
I am happy with my mash up. My perceptions of the stories are the same as when I started. I love them both individually. It was a little difficult to combine the stories. Some elements were the same. For example, there was a big deal made about Desiree’s origins when she marries Armand. There is a similar fuss when Benjamin marries Hildegarde. The biggest similarity worked to my advantage. Both stories included a baby that was shrouded in mystery. The twist in “Desiree’s Baby” is that Armand is actually black and I tried to use that in my mash up, by making Armand black but saving that revelation for late in the story. Instead, I decided to use the concept of aging from “Benjamin Button” as the element of secrecy surrounding Armand. Also, because I figured the change from aging backward to forward was obvious, I thought it would be interesting to have a character that doesn’t age at all. I think everything turned out well.
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