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There Is Confusion
"An important book." — The New York Times
Set in Philadelphia and New York a century ago, this novel by a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance traces the hopes and dreams of three young African-Americans as they search for love, financial security, and success: Joanna, prepared to sacrifice romance on the altar of ambition; Maggie, eager to escape her blue-collar background by marrying well; and Peter, an aspiring doctor motivated by his love for Joanna. Published to critical acclaim in 1924, the story offers a moving examination of the struggles against prejudice and discrimination by members of the black middle class during a tumultuous era.
Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882–1961) was the author of four novels as well as many stories, poems, and reviews. From 1919 to 1926 she was the literary editor of the NAACP's magazine, The Crisis, in which she published and promoted the work of such major writers as Jean Toomer, George Schuyler, Langston Hughes, and Claude McKay. This new edition of There Is Confusion revives her unjustly overlooked voice.
Set in Philadelphia and New York a century ago, this novel by a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance traces the hopes and dreams of three young African-Americans as they search for love, financial security, and success: Joanna, prepared to sacrifice romance on the altar of ambition; Maggie, eager to escape her blue-collar background by marrying well; and Peter, an aspiring doctor motivated by his love for Joanna. Published to critical acclaim in 1924, the story offers a moving examination of the struggles against prejudice and discrimination by members of the black middle class during a tumultuous era.
Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882–1961) was the author of four novels as well as many stories, poems, and reviews. From 1919 to 1926 she was the literary editor of the NAACP's magazine, The Crisis, in which she published and promoted the work of such major writers as Jean Toomer, George Schuyler, Langston Hughes, and Claude McKay. This new edition of There Is Confusion revives her unjustly overlooked voice.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1924
222 people are currently reading
3083 people want to read
About the author
Jessie Redmon Fauset
43 books109 followersJessie Redmon Fauset was an American editor, poet, essayist and novelist.
Fauset was born in Fredericksville, an all-black hamlet in Camden County, New Jersey, also known as Free Haven (now incorporated into the borough of Lawnside, New Jersey). She was the daughter of Anna "Annie" Seamon and Redmon Fauset, a Presbyterian minister. Her mother died when she was still a young girl. Her father remarried Bella Huff (a white woman), and they had three children, including civil rights activist and folklorist Arthur Fauset (1899–1983).
Fauset attended Philadelphia High School for girls, and graduated as the only African American in her class. After high school Fauset graduated from Cornell University in 1905, and is believed to be the second black woman elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She later received her M.A. in French from the University of Pennsylvania. Fauset came to the NAACP's journal, The Crisis, in 1912. From 1919 to 1926 she served as the literary editor of The Crisis under W. E. B. Du Bois. Eventually 58 of her 77 published works first appeared in the journal's pages. She is the author of four novels, There Is Confusion (1924), Plum Bun (1928), The Chinaberry Tree: A Novel of American Life (1931), and Comedy, American Style (1933). She is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta.
Fauset worked as a schoolteacher for many years and retired from teaching in 1944. She died in 1961 from heart failure.
Fauset was born in Fredericksville, an all-black hamlet in Camden County, New Jersey, also known as Free Haven (now incorporated into the borough of Lawnside, New Jersey). She was the daughter of Anna "Annie" Seamon and Redmon Fauset, a Presbyterian minister. Her mother died when she was still a young girl. Her father remarried Bella Huff (a white woman), and they had three children, including civil rights activist and folklorist Arthur Fauset (1899–1983).
Fauset attended Philadelphia High School for girls, and graduated as the only African American in her class. After high school Fauset graduated from Cornell University in 1905, and is believed to be the second black woman elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She later received her M.A. in French from the University of Pennsylvania. Fauset came to the NAACP's journal, The Crisis, in 1912. From 1919 to 1926 she served as the literary editor of The Crisis under W. E. B. Du Bois. Eventually 58 of her 77 published works first appeared in the journal's pages. She is the author of four novels, There Is Confusion (1924), Plum Bun (1928), The Chinaberry Tree: A Novel of American Life (1931), and Comedy, American Style (1933). She is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta.
Fauset worked as a schoolteacher for many years and retired from teaching in 1944. She died in 1961 from heart failure.
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April 23, 2021
‘TROUBLE ON TROUBLE, PAIN ON PAIN’
The series ‘books with interesting social context and acute observations but disappointing as far as their literary form is concerned’ continues, alas. There Is Confusion (1924) by Jessie Redmon Fauset falls into this category. Great social analysis but not a great novel.
I am very grateful to the author for the eye-opening and profound take on racism. I could see it from many angles, not so obvious included. Tennyson’s motto, There is confusion worse than death, Trouble on trouble, pain on pain, is a succinct summary of Jessie Redmon Fauset's book. After having read this novel I feel downhearted and furious at the same time. It is shocking to realize how many years this situation had lasted until people started to realize there was something wrong and appalling with it. I was perplexed to discover that the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in American schools unconstitutional on May 17, 1954. Exactly thirty years after the publication of There Is Confusion!
Chicago, 1919.
Prejudices, unfairness, rejection – these are just a few enemies the characters have to constantly fight. Jessie Redmon Fauset shows how deeply racism influences their lives: Now as I look back, I think I realize for the first time what this awful business of color in America does to a man, what it has done for me. If we weren’t so persistently persecuted and harassed that we can think, breathe, do nothing but consider our great obsession, you and I might have been happy long ago.
The racism Joan, Peter and Maggie's families experience is common and multigenerational, not limited only to former slaves' owners. The white people portrayed in the book do not question racial segregation, it is something obvious and natural. The scene which shook me to the core was neither extremely dramatic nor high-note: during a university graduation ceremony, a white girl refuses to sit next to a Black student. As it seems, education is not an effective vaccine against hatred and prejudice.
There Is Confusion is also a love story. The model of relationship this novel is a pean to does not convince me though and I respectfully disagree with Jessie Redmon Fauset’s assumption that women’s task is to bring out the best in men. To be honest, I do not think it is a good idea to confuse love with a therapist-client relationship. And is it possible to respect a flip-flopper who changes according to the partner’s wishes? I think chameleons make adorable pets, not necessarily husbands. Joanna’s relationship with Peter, her constant desire to change him, feels toxic but I am aware that her obsessive ambition was a result of humiliations her family experienced because of the colour of their skin.
As for the literary quality of Jessie Redmon Fauset’s book, well, There Is Confusion indeed. The first part of the novel, depicting Joanna, Peter, Maggie and their friends as kids and teenagers, was engrossing, well-paced and compassionate. Paradoxically, it made me think of Elena Ferrante’s Napoli series, although the time and place were completely different. Then everything changes and the turning point for me was a scene that I will call ‘scalpel attack’ to avoid spoilers. It felt as if the novel’s wings were cut also. Gradually, the book stops being psychologically astute and soap opera vibes begin to dominate. Painfully stereotypical war scenes, obtrusive moralising and the artificial sweetness of the novel ending were deal breakers for me.
There Is Confusion is undoubtfully a valuable and moving testimony on being a person of colour in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Given Jessie Redmon Fauset’s talent, sharp eye and sensitivity, her cool and precise prose, it could have been much more.
Jessie Redmon Fauset
The series ‘books with interesting social context and acute observations but disappointing as far as their literary form is concerned’ continues, alas. There Is Confusion (1924) by Jessie Redmon Fauset falls into this category. Great social analysis but not a great novel.
I am very grateful to the author for the eye-opening and profound take on racism. I could see it from many angles, not so obvious included. Tennyson’s motto, There is confusion worse than death, Trouble on trouble, pain on pain, is a succinct summary of Jessie Redmon Fauset's book. After having read this novel I feel downhearted and furious at the same time. It is shocking to realize how many years this situation had lasted until people started to realize there was something wrong and appalling with it. I was perplexed to discover that the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in American schools unconstitutional on May 17, 1954. Exactly thirty years after the publication of There Is Confusion!
Chicago, 1919.
Prejudices, unfairness, rejection – these are just a few enemies the characters have to constantly fight. Jessie Redmon Fauset shows how deeply racism influences their lives: Now as I look back, I think I realize for the first time what this awful business of color in America does to a man, what it has done for me. If we weren’t so persistently persecuted and harassed that we can think, breathe, do nothing but consider our great obsession, you and I might have been happy long ago.
The racism Joan, Peter and Maggie's families experience is common and multigenerational, not limited only to former slaves' owners. The white people portrayed in the book do not question racial segregation, it is something obvious and natural. The scene which shook me to the core was neither extremely dramatic nor high-note: during a university graduation ceremony, a white girl refuses to sit next to a Black student. As it seems, education is not an effective vaccine against hatred and prejudice.
There Is Confusion is also a love story. The model of relationship this novel is a pean to does not convince me though and I respectfully disagree with Jessie Redmon Fauset’s assumption that women’s task is to bring out the best in men. To be honest, I do not think it is a good idea to confuse love with a therapist-client relationship. And is it possible to respect a flip-flopper who changes according to the partner’s wishes? I think chameleons make adorable pets, not necessarily husbands. Joanna’s relationship with Peter, her constant desire to change him, feels toxic but I am aware that her obsessive ambition was a result of humiliations her family experienced because of the colour of their skin.
As for the literary quality of Jessie Redmon Fauset’s book, well, There Is Confusion indeed. The first part of the novel, depicting Joanna, Peter, Maggie and their friends as kids and teenagers, was engrossing, well-paced and compassionate. Paradoxically, it made me think of Elena Ferrante’s Napoli series, although the time and place were completely different. Then everything changes and the turning point for me was a scene that I will call ‘scalpel attack’ to avoid spoilers. It felt as if the novel’s wings were cut also. Gradually, the book stops being psychologically astute and soap opera vibes begin to dominate. Painfully stereotypical war scenes, obtrusive moralising and the artificial sweetness of the novel ending were deal breakers for me.
There Is Confusion is undoubtfully a valuable and moving testimony on being a person of colour in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Given Jessie Redmon Fauset’s talent, sharp eye and sensitivity, her cool and precise prose, it could have been much more.
Jessie Redmon Fauset
February 23, 2024
Brilliant! I want to try to put the fullness of my heart on finishing this novel into my review, even though I know my words will fall short. In this novel, Fauset gives us the coming-of-age story of three young Black Americans in early 20th century New York City up through WWI. The main characters are Joanna Marshall, Peter Bye, and Maggie Ellersley--three very different individuals from very different backgrounds who grow up together as teenagers and whose lives interweave in both painful and hopeful ways into their 20s.
Because I've been steeped in George Eliot recently, everything gets compared to Eliot, so do bear with me. But one thing GE does so well is to give us characters who are brutally human. By that I mean they make awful mistakes. They are immature. They are selfish and ignorant. Maggie and Joanna and Peter are all these things, as we all are. What GE also does with those same characters is show us deep into their personhood so we see all that is noble in them that has the capacity to grow beyond childish ways of thinking and being into maturity, strength of purpose, kindness, tolerance, and hope. Fauset does these very same things with her characters and though I was sometimes heartbroken by turns in the plot (as I am with Eliot's novels), I felt that I was in Fauset's caring hands. You can tell she loves her characters and she loves her readers; she wants the best for them and for us.
Fauset embodies what Elizabeth Goudge writes about Jane Austen too: 'She had expected no very great things of human nature, yet she loved it.' Of anyone, a Black American has reason to expect no very great things of humanity and this novel clear-sightedly illuminates the diffuse needle prick effects of slavery and oppression. At the same time, every page of this novel shines with Fauset's love for humanity and her real and vital hope that individual human lives and choices matter and that we--Black and white alike--have the capacity to change and grow. When an author is able to dwell in the mystery of paradox like this, she is able to bring the reader into a genuine change of being and thinking, a subtle but definitive move deeper into truth, beauty, and goodness.
I'm so grateful that Elsie at the Tea and Ink Society blog introduced me to this novel.
Because I've been steeped in George Eliot recently, everything gets compared to Eliot, so do bear with me. But one thing GE does so well is to give us characters who are brutally human. By that I mean they make awful mistakes. They are immature. They are selfish and ignorant. Maggie and Joanna and Peter are all these things, as we all are. What GE also does with those same characters is show us deep into their personhood so we see all that is noble in them that has the capacity to grow beyond childish ways of thinking and being into maturity, strength of purpose, kindness, tolerance, and hope. Fauset does these very same things with her characters and though I was sometimes heartbroken by turns in the plot (as I am with Eliot's novels), I felt that I was in Fauset's caring hands. You can tell she loves her characters and she loves her readers; she wants the best for them and for us.
Fauset embodies what Elizabeth Goudge writes about Jane Austen too: 'She had expected no very great things of human nature, yet she loved it.' Of anyone, a Black American has reason to expect no very great things of humanity and this novel clear-sightedly illuminates the diffuse needle prick effects of slavery and oppression. At the same time, every page of this novel shines with Fauset's love for humanity and her real and vital hope that individual human lives and choices matter and that we--Black and white alike--have the capacity to change and grow. When an author is able to dwell in the mystery of paradox like this, she is able to bring the reader into a genuine change of being and thinking, a subtle but definitive move deeper into truth, beauty, and goodness.
I'm so grateful that Elsie at the Tea and Ink Society blog introduced me to this novel.
March 9, 2025
Excellent.
December 31, 2007
There Is Confusion is a rather enjoyable read (especially when compared to the earlier books on my reading list). It follows the fortunes of three young African Americans at the beginning of the 20th century as they fall in love, follow their ambitions, and try to find happiness. I found myself actually caring about what happened to these people and identifying with large parts of one of the central characters' personality and struggles--race aside, that is. Of course, that's the trick. Part of the point of this novel is that race cannot be truly set aside.
As a novel about the ways in which race is a part of everyday American life--from the lower class to the upper, from the white former slaveowner to the black descendant of slaves--this is a very effective novel. It is even more effective in its consideration of the additional burdens black women face that black men or white women do not face.
And it is here that the strengths and the weaknesses of the novel are most clear. On the one hand, Fauset provides the reader with a (relatively) broad range of female opportunities in these two characters, whether in the arts, in the business world, or in the home. This is a nice change from novels in which black women are merely housewives or domestic servants. But on the other hand, the conclusion of the novel requires significant shifts in both Joanna and Maggie's priorities which are not always believable and which are sometimes problematic. In these two shifts Fauset retreats from the strong feminist argument she had made with Joanna's character in particular to a more traditional representation of women and the possibilities for their happiness.
The big question, though, is how all of this relates to the issues of race that the novel raises. What do these plot twists and relationships have to say about the status of African Americans in the early 20th century and what have they to say about the responsibilities of African Americans as individuals to the race as a whole? The answer is simple, really: love. Love is, according to Joanna, "a pattern to guide us out of the confusion" caused by the race question. Her brother Philip sums it up even more clearly: "Happiness, love, contentment in our own midst, make it possible for us to face those foes without. 'Happy Warriors,' that's the ideal for us."
This novel stands as a testament to the importance of individual relationships and personal happiness in the process of creating larger change. But what kind of change? Fauset's final argument is a strong one for the Booker T. Washington approach. Those few characters who attempt to devote their lives to the cause wind up unhappy and alone; the kind of change the "Happy Warriors" described by Philip are meant to create is gradual, generational, relational--not political or adversarial.
As a novel about the ways in which race is a part of everyday American life--from the lower class to the upper, from the white former slaveowner to the black descendant of slaves--this is a very effective novel. It is even more effective in its consideration of the additional burdens black women face that black men or white women do not face.
And it is here that the strengths and the weaknesses of the novel are most clear. On the one hand, Fauset provides the reader with a (relatively) broad range of female opportunities in these two characters, whether in the arts, in the business world, or in the home. This is a nice change from novels in which black women are merely housewives or domestic servants. But on the other hand, the conclusion of the novel requires significant shifts in both Joanna and Maggie's priorities which are not always believable and which are sometimes problematic. In these two shifts Fauset retreats from the strong feminist argument she had made with Joanna's character in particular to a more traditional representation of women and the possibilities for their happiness.
The big question, though, is how all of this relates to the issues of race that the novel raises. What do these plot twists and relationships have to say about the status of African Americans in the early 20th century and what have they to say about the responsibilities of African Americans as individuals to the race as a whole? The answer is simple, really: love. Love is, according to Joanna, "a pattern to guide us out of the confusion" caused by the race question. Her brother Philip sums it up even more clearly: "Happiness, love, contentment in our own midst, make it possible for us to face those foes without. 'Happy Warriors,' that's the ideal for us."
This novel stands as a testament to the importance of individual relationships and personal happiness in the process of creating larger change. But what kind of change? Fauset's final argument is a strong one for the Booker T. Washington approach. Those few characters who attempt to devote their lives to the cause wind up unhappy and alone; the kind of change the "Happy Warriors" described by Philip are meant to create is gradual, generational, relational--not political or adversarial.
January 3, 2026
There Is Confusion is a demanding, intelligent novel built around three vivid, very different characters whose lives intersect through ambition, family expectations, love, and race in early 20th-century Black America. I was introduced to Fauset when I read Harlem Rhapsody, another fine book describing the Harlem Renaissance Period. Fauset has written four novels and I plan to read more of her work as well as other Harlem Renaissance authors I met through Harlem Rhapsody.
Joanna Marshall is the emotional center of this novel — talented, ambitious, and deeply aware of the limitations placed before her. Her struggle to reconcile artistic aspiration, independence, and love makes her both admirable and frustrating, and very human. She wants a full life and is unwilling to accept easy compromises.
Peter Bye represents another form of ambition: disciplined, proud, and shaped by a strong sense of responsibility and social standing. His inner conflicts around success, masculinity, and belonging reveal how pressure and expectation can narrow emotional freedom.
Maggie Ellersley, often underestimated, provides an important counterbalance. Her journey highlights the quieter costs of ambition, marriage, and self-effacement, and Fauset gives her complexity rather than sentimentality.
This is not an easy novel. It requires patience and attention, and it does not smooth over emotional or social conflict. The characters are flawed, sometimes difficult, and consistently believable. Fauset allows confusion — personal, relational, and societal — to remain part of growth rather than something quickly resolved.
Reading this book was challenging, but ultimately meaningful. It is a serious work that rewards careful, respectful reading and deserves its place as an important novel of the Harlem Renaissance.
Joanna Marshall is the emotional center of this novel — talented, ambitious, and deeply aware of the limitations placed before her. Her struggle to reconcile artistic aspiration, independence, and love makes her both admirable and frustrating, and very human. She wants a full life and is unwilling to accept easy compromises.
Peter Bye represents another form of ambition: disciplined, proud, and shaped by a strong sense of responsibility and social standing. His inner conflicts around success, masculinity, and belonging reveal how pressure and expectation can narrow emotional freedom.
Maggie Ellersley, often underestimated, provides an important counterbalance. Her journey highlights the quieter costs of ambition, marriage, and self-effacement, and Fauset gives her complexity rather than sentimentality.
This is not an easy novel. It requires patience and attention, and it does not smooth over emotional or social conflict. The characters are flawed, sometimes difficult, and consistently believable. Fauset allows confusion — personal, relational, and societal — to remain part of growth rather than something quickly resolved.
Reading this book was challenging, but ultimately meaningful. It is a serious work that rewards careful, respectful reading and deserves its place as an important novel of the Harlem Renaissance.
March 28, 2022
There is lots of confusion going on in this book. For the first part of this story (49% of it) I was not really enjoying the characters or the way the old antiquated way of writing that is in this book. However, I am well aware that this book was written in the 1920’s, so I have to take into consideration the time and place that this book is set in. After having now read this book, I am very complete in my understanding of why this book is on the Zora Canon List.
This book is so vital to the Black community in so many ways. We all embody a piece or pieces of ourselves in these characters and come to a realization of why and how they were, especially in the timeframe in which this story is set. In the 1920s, segregation was definitely in full swing in the south, and there was also so much discrimination and segregation in the North that incapacitated people of color. The institution of racism is exactly that. It permeates in every facet of life, and for Black people there was no way to escape unless you left the country. However, even if you left the country, as we see Peter did when he went to war, there were still Americans there fighting to keep the races separate even in a country that did not have such immense restrictions.
This book follows three young people, Joanna, Maggie and Peter through their childhood to adulthood, in close introspection to see how their lives shape up through living in America as a Black individual. These people are literally two generations away from slavery, and we see the massive impact that slavery has had on Black people, on their opportunities, and in their livelihood. The subject of race dominates all facets of life, and whether you are rich or poor, being Black is the dominant factor in your limited success or failure.
Fauset describes in immaculate detail what it is like to be Black, to be a man, and to be a woman living in the North during Jim Crow. Your opportunities are not abounding or limitless as some may believe. Though Joanna was shielded for most of her young life in the company and economic safe space of her father’s wealthy catering business, she did come to a final realization that she was not going to be as successful as she hoped because of her race and her gender. There were too many obstacles in her way to succeed, and it had nothing to do with her abilities. Though she was very narcissistic and egotistic, she had to come to that sobering realization that she could not accomplish what she had spent her entire life aiming towards. Being a Black woman has very limiting opportunities, and Fauset writes that out in such a way that makes you see how Joanna fell from her “high-faluting” ideas to a more realistic domestic lifestyle, as a housewife and supporter of her husband’s career. Women have worked so hard to get where they want to go and then have to swallow everything to know what they wanted to do can’t be done, at ALL. It’s a shock! Some women don’t take that fall as easily as Joanna did, and even Joanna had to fight her own self into understanding that this was her place now, as much as she was capable, it just wasn’t feasible. No matter how hard you work to get where you want to go, in this period of time, your race was your determining factor. Joanna had to realize this for herself even though she pushed and prodded others to go for the top, she ultimately had to come to the understanding that being Black was not a treat anywhere.
“To have the ordinary job of living is bad enough, but to add to it all the thousand and one difficulties which follow simply in the train of being colored - well, all I’ve got to say, is that we’re some wonderful people to live though it all and keep our sanity.” (p. 167)
The perspective from Maggie’s point of view was interesting because I can see how what she wanted was a viable option. People living in this time wanted an easier life. She desperately believed that all she needed to do was be swept up in the right company, marry the right person, be in the right social groups and be able to live life to the fullest. However, sadly, that’s not the case. I appreciated the growth that Maggie goes through in this story because she really needed to understand that she needed to be a whole and complete person separate from what she thought she could get from other people’s social status. She had skills and abilities that came in great appreciation, but she wasn’t looking within herself for her completeness. She was looking to what she could get out of others. There are women today who still go around like Maggie, looking for the next big thing to get caught up in or being in the right circles, or going to the right schools all for the wrong reasons. Life isn’t easy. No one gets to escape the hard times, so we must embrace adversity and learn to glean from it what we can and use it to our advantage.
Peter was so lukewarm through most of this book. It was funny to see the source of where he got his bad traits from, it was definitely serendipitous. However, Peter showcases how race impacts a Black man in the world. How, race carves out places that he could go, people he had to interact with, and careers that were within his grasp. He didn’t really let up on how he felt about white people until the end, but even then, he didn’t trust them as a whole.
“I’m glad I’m colored - there’s something terrible, terrible about white people.” (p. 254)
Even being a doctor, educated, a Veteran, and a free descendent of a slave from a prominent family wasn’t enough to escape the injustices of racism. We see Peter, and other men, struggle in their fight against racism. Though as a man, Peter has more opportunities than Joanna, but he still faced an uphill battle with trying to become a doctor and a soldier. Though he made very poor decisions in his life, he was also only trying to make the best of his situation. As I’ve said earlier, the disposition of being Black in the 1920s was a hard reality. There was constant struggle at all times no matter your class.
This book was definitely timely in 1924, and seeing how this book ended, I’m interested to know if the author had to have some changes made to the final ending because there were some pretty bold choices made for all the characters that didn’t seem quite realistic. I wonder if Fauset was forced to let white people off the hook so to speak before she could get her book published. Seeing how she was first published by Boni & Liveright Inc., I can understand now how she was able to write so scandalously in this book. I’m so grateful that she was able to undergo all that she wanted to do with her story here. It’s a must to read this book. Though the time is now 2022, this book published a century ago, is still relevant today. That, my dear friends, speaks VOLUMES!
The character development was amazing. I didn’t care for any of the main characters, especially Joanna, but as the story played out I started to sympathize with them and why they made the choices they did. I could understand why Joanna wanted Peter to be top notch. I could see why Maggie wanted to be high-class. I understood Joanna’s need to be someone great and accepted everywhere. Though I didn’t like the choices they made necessarily, it did help me to understand the why behind what they did. The pacing of the book, and antiquated language made it hard sometimes to really get engaged with the story, but once I got halfway through, the story picked up, and everything came together nicely.
I am really glad I got the chance to read this book. I never even heard of this Harlem Renaissance writer, and now that I have I will definitely encourage more people to pick this gem of a book up. 4.25 stars for me.
This book is so vital to the Black community in so many ways. We all embody a piece or pieces of ourselves in these characters and come to a realization of why and how they were, especially in the timeframe in which this story is set. In the 1920s, segregation was definitely in full swing in the south, and there was also so much discrimination and segregation in the North that incapacitated people of color. The institution of racism is exactly that. It permeates in every facet of life, and for Black people there was no way to escape unless you left the country. However, even if you left the country, as we see Peter did when he went to war, there were still Americans there fighting to keep the races separate even in a country that did not have such immense restrictions.
This book follows three young people, Joanna, Maggie and Peter through their childhood to adulthood, in close introspection to see how their lives shape up through living in America as a Black individual. These people are literally two generations away from slavery, and we see the massive impact that slavery has had on Black people, on their opportunities, and in their livelihood. The subject of race dominates all facets of life, and whether you are rich or poor, being Black is the dominant factor in your limited success or failure.
Fauset describes in immaculate detail what it is like to be Black, to be a man, and to be a woman living in the North during Jim Crow. Your opportunities are not abounding or limitless as some may believe. Though Joanna was shielded for most of her young life in the company and economic safe space of her father’s wealthy catering business, she did come to a final realization that she was not going to be as successful as she hoped because of her race and her gender. There were too many obstacles in her way to succeed, and it had nothing to do with her abilities. Though she was very narcissistic and egotistic, she had to come to that sobering realization that she could not accomplish what she had spent her entire life aiming towards. Being a Black woman has very limiting opportunities, and Fauset writes that out in such a way that makes you see how Joanna fell from her “high-faluting” ideas to a more realistic domestic lifestyle, as a housewife and supporter of her husband’s career. Women have worked so hard to get where they want to go and then have to swallow everything to know what they wanted to do can’t be done, at ALL. It’s a shock! Some women don’t take that fall as easily as Joanna did, and even Joanna had to fight her own self into understanding that this was her place now, as much as she was capable, it just wasn’t feasible. No matter how hard you work to get where you want to go, in this period of time, your race was your determining factor. Joanna had to realize this for herself even though she pushed and prodded others to go for the top, she ultimately had to come to the understanding that being Black was not a treat anywhere.
“To have the ordinary job of living is bad enough, but to add to it all the thousand and one difficulties which follow simply in the train of being colored - well, all I’ve got to say, is that we’re some wonderful people to live though it all and keep our sanity.” (p. 167)
The perspective from Maggie’s point of view was interesting because I can see how what she wanted was a viable option. People living in this time wanted an easier life. She desperately believed that all she needed to do was be swept up in the right company, marry the right person, be in the right social groups and be able to live life to the fullest. However, sadly, that’s not the case. I appreciated the growth that Maggie goes through in this story because she really needed to understand that she needed to be a whole and complete person separate from what she thought she could get from other people’s social status. She had skills and abilities that came in great appreciation, but she wasn’t looking within herself for her completeness. She was looking to what she could get out of others. There are women today who still go around like Maggie, looking for the next big thing to get caught up in or being in the right circles, or going to the right schools all for the wrong reasons. Life isn’t easy. No one gets to escape the hard times, so we must embrace adversity and learn to glean from it what we can and use it to our advantage.
Peter was so lukewarm through most of this book. It was funny to see the source of where he got his bad traits from, it was definitely serendipitous. However, Peter showcases how race impacts a Black man in the world. How, race carves out places that he could go, people he had to interact with, and careers that were within his grasp. He didn’t really let up on how he felt about white people until the end, but even then, he didn’t trust them as a whole.
“I’m glad I’m colored - there’s something terrible, terrible about white people.” (p. 254)
Even being a doctor, educated, a Veteran, and a free descendent of a slave from a prominent family wasn’t enough to escape the injustices of racism. We see Peter, and other men, struggle in their fight against racism. Though as a man, Peter has more opportunities than Joanna, but he still faced an uphill battle with trying to become a doctor and a soldier. Though he made very poor decisions in his life, he was also only trying to make the best of his situation. As I’ve said earlier, the disposition of being Black in the 1920s was a hard reality. There was constant struggle at all times no matter your class.
This book was definitely timely in 1924, and seeing how this book ended, I’m interested to know if the author had to have some changes made to the final ending because there were some pretty bold choices made for all the characters that didn’t seem quite realistic. I wonder if Fauset was forced to let white people off the hook so to speak before she could get her book published. Seeing how she was first published by Boni & Liveright Inc., I can understand now how she was able to write so scandalously in this book. I’m so grateful that she was able to undergo all that she wanted to do with her story here. It’s a must to read this book. Though the time is now 2022, this book published a century ago, is still relevant today. That, my dear friends, speaks VOLUMES!
The character development was amazing. I didn’t care for any of the main characters, especially Joanna, but as the story played out I started to sympathize with them and why they made the choices they did. I could understand why Joanna wanted Peter to be top notch. I could see why Maggie wanted to be high-class. I understood Joanna’s need to be someone great and accepted everywhere. Though I didn’t like the choices they made necessarily, it did help me to understand the why behind what they did. The pacing of the book, and antiquated language made it hard sometimes to really get engaged with the story, but once I got halfway through, the story picked up, and everything came together nicely.
I am really glad I got the chance to read this book. I never even heard of this Harlem Renaissance writer, and now that I have I will definitely encourage more people to pick this gem of a book up. 4.25 stars for me.
August 5, 2014
If you are a lover of the Harlem Renaissance, this book gives an insightful portrayal of life in Harlem among different classes of people whose lives intertwine in the past, present and future. Ms. Fauset writes as an urban ethnologist who is familiar with the clash of social constructs and the conflicts they produce in the lives of everyday people.
January 11, 2023
Why is Fauset not as well known as Langston Hughes or Zora Neale Hurston? I think she is a better writer! I wonder if it's because her characters were mainly successful professionals? I could see whites of that era not wanting to read about black surgeons and dentists and businessmen whose children go to Harvard and are Phi Betta Kappa.
Fauset did have an amazing career. Graduated valedictorian of her prestigious high school. Graduated from Cornell with a classics degree. Won Phi Beta Kappa honors there. Got her MA from University of Pennsylvania. Studied at the Sorbonne. Became the literary editor for the NAACP magazine The Crisis. She was the first person to publish Langston Hughes. She fostered the career of many of the great figures of the Harlem Renaissance. She quit her job as editor to focus on writing and taught high school to support herself while writing. She was one of James Baldwin's teachers.
This was her first novel and what a great first novel. I loved how the novel follows the characters for so many years, watching them grow up. It really hit home for me, how recent slavery was. In the book, Joanna's grandfather was born in slavery. What a HUGE change in the following generations. Fauset was all about meritocracy. If you work hard you will succeed. She is not blowing off the difficulties of racism however. It is definitely a hurdle and a stumbling block. Her characters deal with the issue of racism in various ways, based on their personality. From making it their life focus to avoiding it by passing, the characters deal with the issue of racism in their own way. The issue of women's rights also comes up. And the issues of class. I'm making it sound like a heavy book but it's more like it's a deep thoughtful book.
I'm definitely going to read her other three novels. Hopefully they will be as wonderful as this one. So glad I read this.
Fauset did have an amazing career. Graduated valedictorian of her prestigious high school. Graduated from Cornell with a classics degree. Won Phi Beta Kappa honors there. Got her MA from University of Pennsylvania. Studied at the Sorbonne. Became the literary editor for the NAACP magazine The Crisis. She was the first person to publish Langston Hughes. She fostered the career of many of the great figures of the Harlem Renaissance. She quit her job as editor to focus on writing and taught high school to support herself while writing. She was one of James Baldwin's teachers.
This was her first novel and what a great first novel. I loved how the novel follows the characters for so many years, watching them grow up. It really hit home for me, how recent slavery was. In the book, Joanna's grandfather was born in slavery. What a HUGE change in the following generations. Fauset was all about meritocracy. If you work hard you will succeed. She is not blowing off the difficulties of racism however. It is definitely a hurdle and a stumbling block. Her characters deal with the issue of racism in various ways, based on their personality. From making it their life focus to avoiding it by passing, the characters deal with the issue of racism in their own way. The issue of women's rights also comes up. And the issues of class. I'm making it sound like a heavy book but it's more like it's a deep thoughtful book.
I'm definitely going to read her other three novels. Hopefully they will be as wonderful as this one. So glad I read this.
January 31, 2025
I already miss each of the characters in this novel. This book is full of the most lovely, strong, passionate, brave people and they are just so beautifully human. My heart broke for each of them over and over again and my heart soared each time their luck turned around. There will always be pain, but happiness and peace are always there. Maturity and life will always reveal them.
August 7, 2022
So fucking good
October 28, 2024
I had not heard of Jessie Redmon Fauset until recently, and I was surprised to learn the integral role she played as an editor for The Crisis and other Harlem Renaissance authors. While this book was just okay to me, it was clear throughout that Fauset understood the complexities of Blackness in the US that are now well-known such as . She also thoughtfully captured the dynamics of being mere generations away from slavery and conceptualized Joanna's drive for success (and Peter's lack) in a way that resonated with me deeply. So while the characters/plot (and some conclusions) were not my favorite, I'm grateful that I was introduced to Fauset and want to read a later novel to see how her writing evolved over time.
April 4, 2021
Although written in the 1920s, it read like a Victorian novel. And as when reading Austin novels, sometimes I want t give characters a shake, so here. The novel moves by several bad decisions. But of course as reader i had knowledge of both appearance and reality. The characters had only appearance. I did not like any of the characters much at the beginning but by the end had been won over to liking most of them.
Racism was an issue, more in the second half. And not the dominant issue, though it was a background to everything. Class was likewise addressed. Relationships, character, and values dominated. Unlike others, I didn’t read it as a feminist novel, so I was less disappointed in the ending than some. The two main women, Joanna and Maggie, were strong willed, but not necessarily strong women. Joanna was career focused but it seemed a negative trait as handled. Peter Bye was the third major character. Each of the three had several of their own chapters, though in the beginning they function as a unit.
Omniscient author point of view is not my favorite, but it was handled well and the plot moved well after the early introduction chapters. All that Bye genealogy eventually became relevant.
Jessie Fauset is a new author to me; i am glad of the introduction to lesser known Black writers. I plan to read more of her works.
Racism was an issue, more in the second half. And not the dominant issue, though it was a background to everything. Class was likewise addressed. Relationships, character, and values dominated. Unlike others, I didn’t read it as a feminist novel, so I was less disappointed in the ending than some. The two main women, Joanna and Maggie, were strong willed, but not necessarily strong women. Joanna was career focused but it seemed a negative trait as handled. Peter Bye was the third major character. Each of the three had several of their own chapters, though in the beginning they function as a unit.
Omniscient author point of view is not my favorite, but it was handled well and the plot moved well after the early introduction chapters. All that Bye genealogy eventually became relevant.
Jessie Fauset is a new author to me; i am glad of the introduction to lesser known Black writers. I plan to read more of her works.
February 16, 2021
“Oh, yes, we know you’ll do for us in every possible way, slight us, cheat us, betray us, but you can’t kill the real life within us, the essential us. You may make us distrustful, incredulous, disillusioned, but you can’t make us despair or corrode us with bitterness. Call us children if you like, but in spite of everything, life is worth living, and we mean to live it to the full.”
An excellent novel of manners that explores race, class, and gender through the lens of three young Black New Yorkers growing up and falling in and out of (and back in) love in the early 20th century. Joanna Marshall is an ambitious dancer and singer who knows herself to be destined for greatness; Peter Bye is a talented future surgeon who is driven in all things by his love for Joanna; and Maggie Ellersley is a beautiful striver committed to securing respectability. Their lives intersect in complicated and sometimes tragic ways as each grapples with the limitations imposed on them by a racist, sexist, colorist, and uncaring country. Despite taking place more than 100 years ago, so many of the conversations about class and race seemed like they could have been lifted from 2021. The characters were rich and complex, and they evolved and adapted in nuanced ways over the course of the novel; their miscommunications and poor decisions were so anxiety inducing that I occasionally had to put the book down, and I couldn’t help but love them and want the best for them all. There were times when the conversations felt a little didactic, when it seemed like Fauset was using her characters as a mouthpiece instead of using the plot and narrative to make her point. And I found myself disappointed by the surprisingly gendered resolution of one of the characters’ arcs. But I was delighted to discover this underappreciated gem thanks to the Novel Pairings podcast, and I hope more readers find There Is Confusion!
An excellent novel of manners that explores race, class, and gender through the lens of three young Black New Yorkers growing up and falling in and out of (and back in) love in the early 20th century. Joanna Marshall is an ambitious dancer and singer who knows herself to be destined for greatness; Peter Bye is a talented future surgeon who is driven in all things by his love for Joanna; and Maggie Ellersley is a beautiful striver committed to securing respectability. Their lives intersect in complicated and sometimes tragic ways as each grapples with the limitations imposed on them by a racist, sexist, colorist, and uncaring country. Despite taking place more than 100 years ago, so many of the conversations about class and race seemed like they could have been lifted from 2021. The characters were rich and complex, and they evolved and adapted in nuanced ways over the course of the novel; their miscommunications and poor decisions were so anxiety inducing that I occasionally had to put the book down, and I couldn’t help but love them and want the best for them all. There were times when the conversations felt a little didactic, when it seemed like Fauset was using her characters as a mouthpiece instead of using the plot and narrative to make her point. And I found myself disappointed by the surprisingly gendered resolution of one of the characters’ arcs. But I was delighted to discover this underappreciated gem thanks to the Novel Pairings podcast, and I hope more readers find There Is Confusion!
February 28, 2021
The characters in There is Confusion muddle their way through adulthood navigating treacherous waters of romance, social mobility, gender, and inevitably the limits that racism places on their ambitions. This novel beautifully explores character history as a microcosm of American history and paint a compelling view of the limits society places on women, Black people, and its notion of respectability. I loved reading this novel, though I did find the ending a little unsatisfying in its resolution.
February 8, 2024
“I wouldn’t if it weren’t for the sense of freedom… You can’t imagine the almost unlimited opportunities that these [white] people have for work, for pleasure, for anything… you can’t imagine the blessedness of no longer being uncertain whether you can enter such and such hotel, or of getting a decent berth if you’re going traveling…” - on choosing to pass for white.
I enjoyed this novel immensely although the second part and especially the ending turned it into a moralizing melodramatic piece. No matter! It is an important, interesting historical document.
February 11, 2023
What an absolute gem of a book. It’s my ideal story. All about characters with just a little bit of plot to keep it flowing.
Read
November 16, 2025Jessie Redmon Fauset never fails to make her books juicy proving that even the “best of the race” aren’t without their low class tendencies and feelings of inadequacy in the face of racism.
February 17, 2023
this book was completely fascinating and I love Joanna's character so much. I think I am a lot like her and I am so glad that she gave her a happy ending
May 18, 2020
Very much a novel of manners and class conflicts. This novel follows three African Americans in the early 1910s as they navigate class consciousness and snobbery within the Black communities of New York and Philadelphia. The novel opens with a lengthy bit of historical background for the families of each of the three main characters, a background which comes to inform the central conflicts of the text. The ending in some ways undoes the achievement of the women in the book and suggests a more traditional gender role is better, but the ongoing discussion about the role of race in one's progress is compelling. Even with an ending that sometimes disappointed me, I was very much engaged in these interlocking lives.
June 21, 2022
Without Jessie Redmon Fauset, it would’ve been hard to have the Harlem Renaissance as we know it. She gave Langston Hughes his first big break and put Jean Toomer on the map. In many ways, she was the mind behind whose voices were amplified to a greater audience. As someone whose taste was so deeply trusted and who had so much power in literary circles, it is devastating that her works are practically unknown.
This was my first time reading Fauset, but it will not be my last. Her character work here is phenomenal and her commentary on class and race are exceptional. 100 years later, her ideas still seem nuanced and timely. I can see why some would find this narrative too tidy, but I loved it. 100% recommend.
This was my first time reading Fauset, but it will not be my last. Her character work here is phenomenal and her commentary on class and race are exceptional. 100 years later, her ideas still seem nuanced and timely. I can see why some would find this narrative too tidy, but I loved it. 100% recommend.
September 3, 2020
This was a very fun read, I could never predict what was going to happen next and who was going to get with who. Both Joanna and Maggie were extraordinary characters, I loved reading their motivations and how they impacted each other’s lives. I also don’t think I’ve ever read a novel about Black people that is set in the North, so this had a different take on race relations than a lot of other novels I’ve read. I really enjoyed this a lot, it gave me the same kind of whimsical anxious romantic feelings that books like Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice give me.
March 17, 2021
This is a recently reprinted classic from the Harlem Renaissance. It’s been described as Austen-esque and I totally see that. It’s a novel of manners, a marriage plot, and is deeply interested in the intersections of class and love/courtship. But of course, it’s also dealing with racism. One of the fundamental questions the book and its characters wrestle with is: what is a good response to being black in a racist society? Work as hard as you can and be that much better, so that you have to be acknowledged? Give up on ambition because the barriers are too high? Organize and fight?
April 6, 2025
Well, the junior teachers at our school switched to reading Their Eyes Were Watching God for their grade level … great choice. The only problem is that meant I had to remove it from my lit circle options for my senior English class.
The non-problem with that is that I got to search for something new to replace it with—always fun. How do you replace the fantastic author, Zora Neale Hurston? Well, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou are all obvious possibilities. But as I researched their books and backgrounds, I kept on coming across some of their inspiring predecessors. Some I recognized—Zora Neale Hurston, who just brought me back full circle, Gwendolyn Brooks—others I had not even heard whisper of myself (I mean, there are a lot of authors out there and only so much time in the world … so this isn’t a criticism, just an observation). One name that seemed to appear most frequently was Jessie Redmon Fauset. I ordered a couple of titles from her and some others of her era. The first one I decided to read was There Is Confusion.
I nailed it on the first try. (I mean, I guess she gets some credit in this process, but I promise I’ll give her her due in the rest of this.)
There Is Confusion gives a unique view into the African-American identity in the early 1900s, where families—who are still only a couple generations removed from slavery and even have some living members who were born into that evil institution—grapple with what it means to step further away from that legacy, build new ones, struggle with continued discrimination and the inherent disadvantages of their background.
When I put it that way, this sounds like an epic scope of a narrative with complex discussions on race and policies, institutions and governing. But it’s not. Ms. Fauset simply tells us the story of a few black families in New York who are dealing with these things in their own way. They are finding their own successes and coping with failures in ways that match the needs of the story—story before message. Yet within these stories, we can easily extract the larger, previously-mentioned themes.
It is almost insulting (it’s not), how little Ms. Fauset brings white people into this narrative (we’re supposed to be the main parts of stories! … even if it is as antagonists). That’s not to say that white people are let off the hook (especially later on, Ms. Fauset provides a beautiful interaction that brought me to tears as a template for how two races divided so hopelessly by the past can approach redemption). But more importantly, this is about the families and their own stories: the pride and poverty within the black social structure, the noble ambitions and obstructing hatred. It’s about love, forgiveness, priorities, and withholding judgment. Ms. Fauset’s story strongly informs us about the problems with race discrimination, but that comes as a natural strain of a bigger picture of these figures in this situation.
Now, for my own purposes I need to summarize the story so that I can recall details when I later look back to this. There Is Confusion follows several families: the Marshalls, Byes, and Ellerseys (and some others on the fringe—Vera Manning is a fascinating side character), and some of them for a few generations. Eventually, it settles on the characters of Joanna Marshall, a proud and ambitious singing, dancing, and acting artist; Peter Bye, a talented student and aspiring surgeon with a conflicting family history; Maggie Ellersey, a poor but determined socialite. Joanna is keenly aware of her family’s higher status (in the African-American community), and not only looks to build on it but also (sadly) has learned to reinforce discrimination for those of a lower class. Peter deals in bitterness with his family’s treatment from white owners and subsequent white people in a racist society, but he also finds some positive direction and purpose through his love of Joanna Marshall. Maggie is on the lower rung of society’s social ladder, but her scrappy (and perhaps too intense) focus on rising that ladder leads to gains and then a large loss when Joanna Marshall writes a letter to her that haughtily intercedes.
In the process of this story, Joanna learns the difficult lesson of the emptiness of fame and the importance of true and meaningful romantic love. Peter meets up with his white counterpart and finds a bittersweet resolution to his buried (and justified) resentment for past atrocities. Maggie learns that her obsessive pursuit of respectability does not have to be based on which people she is seen with in social circles.
Overall, Jessie Redmon Fauset uses this story to show us how pride, racism, vanity, and resentment can cause a confusing mess. Also, through this story, Fauset shows us how, with the proper re-focusing of these same things, There Is Clarity.
The non-problem with that is that I got to search for something new to replace it with—always fun. How do you replace the fantastic author, Zora Neale Hurston? Well, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou are all obvious possibilities. But as I researched their books and backgrounds, I kept on coming across some of their inspiring predecessors. Some I recognized—Zora Neale Hurston, who just brought me back full circle, Gwendolyn Brooks—others I had not even heard whisper of myself (I mean, there are a lot of authors out there and only so much time in the world … so this isn’t a criticism, just an observation). One name that seemed to appear most frequently was Jessie Redmon Fauset. I ordered a couple of titles from her and some others of her era. The first one I decided to read was There Is Confusion.
I nailed it on the first try. (I mean, I guess she gets some credit in this process, but I promise I’ll give her her due in the rest of this.)
There Is Confusion gives a unique view into the African-American identity in the early 1900s, where families—who are still only a couple generations removed from slavery and even have some living members who were born into that evil institution—grapple with what it means to step further away from that legacy, build new ones, struggle with continued discrimination and the inherent disadvantages of their background.
When I put it that way, this sounds like an epic scope of a narrative with complex discussions on race and policies, institutions and governing. But it’s not. Ms. Fauset simply tells us the story of a few black families in New York who are dealing with these things in their own way. They are finding their own successes and coping with failures in ways that match the needs of the story—story before message. Yet within these stories, we can easily extract the larger, previously-mentioned themes.
It is almost insulting (it’s not), how little Ms. Fauset brings white people into this narrative (we’re supposed to be the main parts of stories! … even if it is as antagonists). That’s not to say that white people are let off the hook (especially later on, Ms. Fauset provides a beautiful interaction that brought me to tears as a template for how two races divided so hopelessly by the past can approach redemption). But more importantly, this is about the families and their own stories: the pride and poverty within the black social structure, the noble ambitions and obstructing hatred. It’s about love, forgiveness, priorities, and withholding judgment. Ms. Fauset’s story strongly informs us about the problems with race discrimination, but that comes as a natural strain of a bigger picture of these figures in this situation.
Now, for my own purposes I need to summarize the story so that I can recall details when I later look back to this. There Is Confusion follows several families: the Marshalls, Byes, and Ellerseys (and some others on the fringe—Vera Manning is a fascinating side character), and some of them for a few generations. Eventually, it settles on the characters of Joanna Marshall, a proud and ambitious singing, dancing, and acting artist; Peter Bye, a talented student and aspiring surgeon with a conflicting family history; Maggie Ellersey, a poor but determined socialite. Joanna is keenly aware of her family’s higher status (in the African-American community), and not only looks to build on it but also (sadly) has learned to reinforce discrimination for those of a lower class. Peter deals in bitterness with his family’s treatment from white owners and subsequent white people in a racist society, but he also finds some positive direction and purpose through his love of Joanna Marshall. Maggie is on the lower rung of society’s social ladder, but her scrappy (and perhaps too intense) focus on rising that ladder leads to gains and then a large loss when Joanna Marshall writes a letter to her that haughtily intercedes.
In the process of this story, Joanna learns the difficult lesson of the emptiness of fame and the importance of true and meaningful romantic love. Peter meets up with his white counterpart and finds a bittersweet resolution to his buried (and justified) resentment for past atrocities. Maggie learns that her obsessive pursuit of respectability does not have to be based on which people she is seen with in social circles.
Overall, Jessie Redmon Fauset uses this story to show us how pride, racism, vanity, and resentment can cause a confusing mess. Also, through this story, Fauset shows us how, with the proper re-focusing of these same things, There Is Clarity.
February 28, 2025
Before picking up There is Confusion, Jessie Redmon Fauset’s work was unfamiliar to me, despite her contributions to the Harlem Renaissance. While this novel explores race, gender, and ambition in ways that were groundbreaking for its time, it ultimately falls short in execution. The narrative presents compelling themes but at times struggles with pacing, character development, and a rushed conclusion that weakens its impact.
Jessie Redmon Fauset was the literary editor of The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP. During the 1920s and 30s, Fauset published four novels, and There is Confusion was the first, released in 1924. The story follows three Black children as they grow up in 20th-century New York City, a world that often limits them due to their race. Joanna Marshall is an aspiring dancer from a well-respected Black family, raised to believe in hard work and passion despite societal pressures that expect women—especially Black women—to settle for less. Peter Bye, in contrast, was raised with the idea that "the world owes you a living," leading him to pursue a medical career while struggling with his feelings for Joanna and his own sense of self-worth. Maggie Ellersley, another main character, is determined to escape her working-class background by any means necessary. The novel tracks their journeys of self-discovery, love, and ambition while offering a glimpse into Black middle-class life and its complexities.
One of the strongest aspects of this novel is Fauset’s portrayal of the African-American middle class. At a time when a lot of the literature focused on the hardships of Black life, the author also showcased ambition, education, and upward mobility for her characters in There is Confusion. Fauset portrays the romantic relationships in a way that emphasizes how Black people experienced love, heartbreak, and commitment just as White people did, countering narratives that often diminished Black romance in literature.
Fauset’s depiction of the "New Woman" is particularly interesting. Joanna initially embodies this ideal through her refusal to conform to traditional gender roles and racial stereotypes. The expectation for women at the time was to marry early and prioritize domestic life, yet Joanna dares to aspire to something more. However, as the novel progresses, her character arc becomes inconsistent. Her ambition, which initially drives her, is given up in favor of romance, ultimately hindering the feminist potential of her story. Instead of fully embracing her independence, the story pushes her toward resolutions that feel at odds with her initial characterization.
While Fauset’s writing style is elegant and thoughtful, the novel’s pacing is uneven. The beginning introduces a large number of characters and details their family histories in a way that can feel overwhelming. Many characters share names, making it difficult to keep track of relationships and their significance to the plot. While this adds depth to the world Fauset builds, and is especially important to some plot points, it makes it difficult to stay engaged with the central narrative.
I also wondered about the ending of this novel. While Fauset carefully constructs the world and struggles of her characters, the resolution feels rushed. The novel spends so much time developing the complexities of these characters’ ambitions and moral dilemmas, only to conclude in a way that simplifies their struggles rather than resolving them in a meaningful way. It felt like Fauset wanted to make many points, but could only describe them at the end.
Ultimately, There Is Confusion for its exploration of race, gender, and ambition. While it may not be as widely discussed as some other Harlem Renaissance works, it offers an important perspective on Black middle-class life and the aspirations of young African Americans in the early 20th century, but it is not without flaws. The novel raises important questions but provides rushed answers, making it an interesting yet imperfect contribution to Harlem Renaissance literature.
Jessie Redmon Fauset was the literary editor of The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP. During the 1920s and 30s, Fauset published four novels, and There is Confusion was the first, released in 1924. The story follows three Black children as they grow up in 20th-century New York City, a world that often limits them due to their race. Joanna Marshall is an aspiring dancer from a well-respected Black family, raised to believe in hard work and passion despite societal pressures that expect women—especially Black women—to settle for less. Peter Bye, in contrast, was raised with the idea that "the world owes you a living," leading him to pursue a medical career while struggling with his feelings for Joanna and his own sense of self-worth. Maggie Ellersley, another main character, is determined to escape her working-class background by any means necessary. The novel tracks their journeys of self-discovery, love, and ambition while offering a glimpse into Black middle-class life and its complexities.
One of the strongest aspects of this novel is Fauset’s portrayal of the African-American middle class. At a time when a lot of the literature focused on the hardships of Black life, the author also showcased ambition, education, and upward mobility for her characters in There is Confusion. Fauset portrays the romantic relationships in a way that emphasizes how Black people experienced love, heartbreak, and commitment just as White people did, countering narratives that often diminished Black romance in literature.
Fauset’s depiction of the "New Woman" is particularly interesting. Joanna initially embodies this ideal through her refusal to conform to traditional gender roles and racial stereotypes. The expectation for women at the time was to marry early and prioritize domestic life, yet Joanna dares to aspire to something more. However, as the novel progresses, her character arc becomes inconsistent. Her ambition, which initially drives her, is given up in favor of romance, ultimately hindering the feminist potential of her story. Instead of fully embracing her independence, the story pushes her toward resolutions that feel at odds with her initial characterization.
While Fauset’s writing style is elegant and thoughtful, the novel’s pacing is uneven. The beginning introduces a large number of characters and details their family histories in a way that can feel overwhelming. Many characters share names, making it difficult to keep track of relationships and their significance to the plot. While this adds depth to the world Fauset builds, and is especially important to some plot points, it makes it difficult to stay engaged with the central narrative.
I also wondered about the ending of this novel. While Fauset carefully constructs the world and struggles of her characters, the resolution feels rushed. The novel spends so much time developing the complexities of these characters’ ambitions and moral dilemmas, only to conclude in a way that simplifies their struggles rather than resolving them in a meaningful way. It felt like Fauset wanted to make many points, but could only describe them at the end.
Ultimately, There Is Confusion for its exploration of race, gender, and ambition. While it may not be as widely discussed as some other Harlem Renaissance works, it offers an important perspective on Black middle-class life and the aspirations of young African Americans in the early 20th century, but it is not without flaws. The novel raises important questions but provides rushed answers, making it an interesting yet imperfect contribution to Harlem Renaissance literature.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2021
"The time comes when he thinks, 'I might just as well fall back; there's no use pushing on. A colored man just can't make any headway in this awful country.' Of course, it's a fallacy. And if a fellow sticks it out he finally gets past it, but not before it has worked considerable confusion in his life."
Joel Marshall has ambitions to be a great man. He's a successful caterer, but he wants more. His daughter, Joanna, shares his desire for greatness and she has a talent for both singing and dancing. She's at a disadvantage due to her skin color, but she thinks that her success could be a way to break down prejudice. Joanna has the double consciousness spoken of by W. E. B. Du Bois, considering herself an American first, and a colored person second.
Joanna Marshall's romantic interest, Peter Bye, hates white people and thinks the world owes him a living. Maggie Ellersley, a poor girl looking to advance in life, befriends Joanna's older sister and becomes romantically involved with Joanna's brother. However, Joanna is a snob who looks down on Maggie for being lower class.
The story takes place mainly in New York and Philadelphia before, during, and after World War I as Joanna, Peter, and Maggie meet in grade school, embark on their various careers, and consider whom they will marry. The drama is mainly driven by poor communication and misunderstandings taking place between the Marshall children and their romantic interests. It's a story of imperfect characters doing what they think is best at the time, but still hurting those they love.
Racism makes all their lives worse, but it's usually in the background. The characters deal with the difficultly of not knowing which restaurants will serve them and the frustration of not knowing if the discrimination is intentional or not.
Joanna has a friend who can pass as white who cuts ties with her black friends in order to succeed in the world. Oversees, we see white American soldiers attacking black American soldiers for dating white French women. Black soldiers returning from the Great War are mobbed simply for wearing their uniforms. One soldier decides to remain in France to avoid the racism he faces back home.
While the book addresses the difficultly of living during the Jim Crow era, overall, it's a book about the importance of love.
Joel Marshall has ambitions to be a great man. He's a successful caterer, but he wants more. His daughter, Joanna, shares his desire for greatness and she has a talent for both singing and dancing. She's at a disadvantage due to her skin color, but she thinks that her success could be a way to break down prejudice. Joanna has the double consciousness spoken of by W. E. B. Du Bois, considering herself an American first, and a colored person second.
Joanna Marshall's romantic interest, Peter Bye, hates white people and thinks the world owes him a living. Maggie Ellersley, a poor girl looking to advance in life, befriends Joanna's older sister and becomes romantically involved with Joanna's brother. However, Joanna is a snob who looks down on Maggie for being lower class.
The story takes place mainly in New York and Philadelphia before, during, and after World War I as Joanna, Peter, and Maggie meet in grade school, embark on their various careers, and consider whom they will marry. The drama is mainly driven by poor communication and misunderstandings taking place between the Marshall children and their romantic interests. It's a story of imperfect characters doing what they think is best at the time, but still hurting those they love.
Racism makes all their lives worse, but it's usually in the background. The characters deal with the difficultly of not knowing which restaurants will serve them and the frustration of not knowing if the discrimination is intentional or not.
Joanna has a friend who can pass as white who cuts ties with her black friends in order to succeed in the world. Oversees, we see white American soldiers attacking black American soldiers for dating white French women. Black soldiers returning from the Great War are mobbed simply for wearing their uniforms. One soldier decides to remain in France to avoid the racism he faces back home.
While the book addresses the difficultly of living during the Jim Crow era, overall, it's a book about the importance of love.
March 21, 2021
This is very much a novel of its era. Like many other books of the Harlem Renaissance, it deals with issues of race, color (dark vs. light), 'passing', lack of Black mobility, and outright discrimination. It points out that even for Blacks who were upper middle class or even wealthy, their economic benefits were not sufficient to bring them to a par with whites. Joanna, for all her talent, is still not able to break through the barriers that would allow her the same recognition and opportunities that a white singer/dancer would have. Peter struggles with whether he can be accepted as a Black surgeon, or should take the 'easy' way out by developing his career as a musician.
The story itself was mildly interesting, but I didn't find any of the characters terribly appealing. It is a story about young people trying to find their way, find love, and develop their careers but with an undercurrent of racial inequity. In some ways it was surprisingly progressive-- the female characters almost all had careers, not just jobs. The portrayal of white characters seemed at times almost overly generous, but that was counterbalanced by situations in which discrimination and oppression prevailed.
Despite the focus on race, Fauset did not seem to apply the same considerations to Indigenous people--- it was fine for Joanna to portray an Indian, but she could not play a white person unless she wore a mask.
My overall takeaway -reading this in 2021-- is sadly, how little progress we have made. These same issues exist today. Because I am interested in the era and in Black history, I'm glad I read it.
The story itself was mildly interesting, but I didn't find any of the characters terribly appealing. It is a story about young people trying to find their way, find love, and develop their careers but with an undercurrent of racial inequity. In some ways it was surprisingly progressive-- the female characters almost all had careers, not just jobs. The portrayal of white characters seemed at times almost overly generous, but that was counterbalanced by situations in which discrimination and oppression prevailed.
Despite the focus on race, Fauset did not seem to apply the same considerations to Indigenous people--- it was fine for Joanna to portray an Indian, but she could not play a white person unless she wore a mask.
My overall takeaway -reading this in 2021-- is sadly, how little progress we have made. These same issues exist today. Because I am interested in the era and in Black history, I'm glad I read it.
January 13, 2026
There is Confusion was written by Jessie R. Fauset, a staple of African American literature during the Harlem Renaissance. She aimed to write positive and realistic depictions of black life and this book does exactly that. There is Confusion explores African American life in the early 1900s, a time when things were changing for them, but still very challenging. This book follows 3 young children, Maggie, Joanna, and Peter, as they chase their dreams and try to make a living in a society working against them.
I enjoyed this book. Initially, it was a little slow, and there were a lot of characters to keep up with, but it didn't take long for things to pick up. It was interesting to read the perspective of Black people in the North post-Civil War. We normally get the southern perspective filled with struggle, abuse, poverty and severe trauma. This book still explores these themes but from a more tame perspective. They weren't extremely poor, with Joanna actually growing up pretty well, but they still faced everyday judgment and prejudice. Generational trauma is present, but the main characters are trying to move forward in a different way. Their stories were all different, but the author connected them well. The ending tied a nice bow on everyone's stories, leaving no holes to fill.
June 11, 2023
Set among the Black middle class of New York and Philadelphia in the decades up to and just after the Great War, this book is well worth revisiting as it approaches the centenary of its first publication. The ugly and stupid prejudice that restricts the opportunities of the protagonists is a pervasive presence, leading some of of this galaxy of friends in what is in many ways a coming to maturity group drama to stay in more liberal France after 1918. However, the novel also works on a number of other levels. It casts light on the tensions of class and colour within Black communities, depicts the artistic and political aspirations emerging in the period and provides an engrossing series of relatable characters. It is their interwoven stories that are at the core of this narrative. Above all, it is about how each of them learns to come to terms with their own flaws and overcome them. The society they inhabit, haunted by the legacy of slavery, is still however grappling with its flaws a hundred years later.
August 16, 2022
I found this book a page-turner and an important work. There Is Confusion is a work of historical fiction, written near the time when the events (post Civil War through World War I) occurred. The story chronicles the coming of age of a small group of descendants of former slaves grappling with the same issues that other humans face but with the unique circumstance of being colored in America.
The author’s closeness to the era coupled with her membership in the colored race supplied her with the insight into the psyche of her characters that enabled her to reveal the thoughts, hopes and emotions of blacks of that period in ways that might, but for this work, have been lost to future generations.
The writing could have been a tad better and a couple of the plot twists didn’t quite gel; however, the author’s understanding of the psychology of her characters shows how important it is that people write their own stories and that all viewpoints be included in the marketplace of ideas.
The author’s closeness to the era coupled with her membership in the colored race supplied her with the insight into the psyche of her characters that enabled her to reveal the thoughts, hopes and emotions of blacks of that period in ways that might, but for this work, have been lost to future generations.
The writing could have been a tad better and a couple of the plot twists didn’t quite gel; however, the author’s understanding of the psychology of her characters shows how important it is that people write their own stories and that all viewpoints be included in the marketplace of ideas.
April 18, 2025
Jessie Redmond Faucet and so many other authors from the Harlem Renaissance wanted to highlight the experiences of educated, upper and middle class African Americans. Before the Cosby show depicted black professionals and the Jeffersons showed upwardly mobile blacks, most of the depictions were that of ignorant,subservient sycophants . Lucky for there were a few publishers who were willing to take a chance with this author and what Ms Faucet give the reader was a brilliant, thought provoking noteworthy novel of resilience, tolerance and insight into a world very few were aware of at the time.
Written in 1920, There is Confusion tells the coming of age story of three African Americans from various backgrounds defining themselves and their place in the world while coping with the racially charged environment. Joanna, Peter, and Maggie
Written in 1920, There is Confusion tells the coming of age story of three African Americans from various backgrounds defining themselves and their place in the world while coping with the racially charged environment. Joanna, Peter, and Maggie
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