Fauset asks her sister, “Has there ever been a force in your life that brought you an equal measure of joy and sorrow?” How do you think her relationship with Du Bois exemplifies this? How would you answer her question?
Her relationship with Du Bois was not really about physical attraction (on her part). Her knowing that he had a wife and children bothered her.
The intellectual stimulation their relationship provided was the joy as I see it.
I would answer her question with a “yes, when my children went off on their own”. I was both proud of them and sad that that phase of my life was transitioning to something else.
I think that W.E.B. Dubois saw Jessie Redmon Fauset’s intelligence and her strength in writing and that because of this Jessie felt valued and loved. I think that she genuinely loved W.E.B. Dubois. W.E.B. Dubois also gave her the opportunity to excel professionally. At the same time, I think Jessie knew there was a ceiling to her professional success and that she would never become editor of The Crisis. She never had wanted a traditional marital relationship so I think she tried to convince herself that she was alright with Dubois’ marriage when ultimately she was jealous of his relationships with other women
Michelle, I agree with everything you wrote!
1 Like
Love is a powerful force that has brought me both great joy and deep sorrow. So, my answer to Fauset is “yes!” Love can bring people together and also tear each other apart. It doesn’t have to be “sexual” but can be. There are so many layers of “love.”
Absolutely, I agree with this! Loving my children as they have grown up has brought me so much joy in seeing their accomplishments and loving to spend time with them, and it has also brought me sorrow when they have made mistakes and had disappointments in their lives, or on the rare occasion that they have said something to hurt me. I think its the same with any relationship…you take a risk when you love someone because if you give of yourself, at some point , you will experience some sorrow about it.
I think her relationship with Du Bois is a perfect example of this sentiment. She loved being with him, his support, and the job that he had created for her, but she knew that it was a dead end. I think her relationship with Du Bois was largely because of her relationship with her father. They both liked to read and discuss issues with her. I imagine that it was difficult to meet men with the mind that would challenge and engage her, because so many had been excluded from the education that she had received.
Yes, joy and sorrow - Proud that my grandson chose to go into the military to serve his country, then devastated when he came back from Iraq with PTSD.
So her mere love trifle with Du Bois was just that - minor! She was in the wrong for seeing a married man and she knew it.