An Analysis Of Fauset's There Is Confusion

Fauset was a cultured, well-bred woman, a close associate of Du Bois viewed France as fair and free, however based on her writings which utilized French settings, philosophy, and education abroad in her writings. In her novel, There Is Confusion, published in 1924, she notes the hardships due to segregation in the U. S. Army that had already been notated by Dubois in The Crisis. To continue, Fauset wrote stories beginning in a visit in 1924 depicting American soldiers in France, clearly stating how racial prejudice was brought to white American soldiers which contrasts how she describes the French countryside as dumb and dull. To follow, Fauset believed, “France bleeds to keep men free,” yet the negative imagery of the setting, shows her belief that although free in France, Black people abroad would enjoy the splendor of America if it was not for racism and they did not necessarily feel at home abroad after even studying and immersing themselves in their culture, as she had done.
Fauset also felt she was better than Blacks outside of America; despite being a critically acclaimed writer, Maran failed to impress her saying, “there is no question American Negroes are the best there are.” However, one of the younger generation of writers, Gwendolyn Bennett at twenty three, a graphic artist, writer, and professor at Howard read Batouala French, highlighting the younger generation of the Harlem Renaissance choosing to change course of the philosophies of the movement with the goal of taking these principles worldwide. When Bennet returned to Harlem in the early 1930s she was shocked by the once vibrant community, like many other parts of the country, in the grip of the nation’s worst financial