The story "Ripe Figs" by Kate Chopin is very short, but it is packed with vividly descriptive words that tell us a great deal about Babette's character and moods.

Maman-Nainaine tells Babette that she can go visit her cousins when the figs are ripe. Babette thinks that this is a "very long time to wait," for the figs are only "like little hard, green marbles." Babette is "restless as a humming-bird" as the spring passes into summer. This simile expresses Babette's impatience far better than merely stating that she is impatient. We can picture a humming-bird darting here and there, unable to stay in one place very long, and we know that Babette, too, is unsettled.

The narrator says that every day, Babette dances to the fig-trees. She is hopeful and excited, curious and engaged, wanting those figs to be ripe. But then she walks slowly, looking carefully into the branches. She is meticulous, not wanting to miss a thing, in case the figs have ripened. Most days, though, she comes away "disconsolate." She is disappointed. Her hopes have been dashed again, and we imagine that she does not dance on her way back but rather plods.

Then one day, Babette sees something that makes her "sing and dance the whole day long." Her high spirits are higher than ever, for the figs are ripe. Notice how expressive Babette is in her emotions. She never hides them. They come pouring out with gusto. Babette, however, does not tell her grandmother that the figs are ripe; she brings her a platter of the fruit to show her. This is clever and effective, and Babette seems to know her grandmother well.

To Maman-Nainaine's comment that the figs have ripened early this year, however, Babette replies that she thinks it is actually quite late. She is again showing her impatience and eagerness to visit her cousins, not in so many words, but with a comment that reveals all.