# Peter Bye — There Is Confusion character guide > Peter Bye in There Is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Peter, Dear Peter, Uncle Peter, Doubtless Peter **First appearance:** 0003-i ## Snapshot Proud, touchy, and descended from a family whose history has been kept from him, he loves Joanna while nursing a suspicion he can't name. ## Who they are Peter Bye carries the manners of a distinguished family and none of its money, a combination that makes him both charming and quick to take offense. His courtship of Joanna is shadowed by an old wound: the Bye name conceals a tangle of paternity, inheritance, and silence that his elders have never fully explained. When the truth about his grandfather's line surfaces, it threatens to redefine who he is — and what he can offer the woman he wants. ## Relationships ### [Joanna Marshall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/joanna_marshall) _romantic_ Joanna and Peter share a deep, complicated romantic bond marked by mutual ambition and societal obstacles. ### [Maggie Ellersley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/maggie_ellersley) _friendship_ Maggie and Peter share a supportive friendship, often acting as confidants for each other. ### [Meriwether Bye](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/meriwether_bye) _family_ Meriwether is Peter's father, a stern figure who pressures Peter to uphold family legacy. ### [Philip Marshall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/philip_marshall) _rivalry_ Peter and Philip are rivals, competing for success and for the affections of Joanna and Maggie. ### [Joanna Marshall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/joanna_marshall) _romantic_ Joanna and Peter share a deep, complicated romantic bond marked by mutual ambition and societal obstacles. ### [Joanna Marshall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/joanna_marshall) _romantic_ Joanna and Peter share a deep, complicated romantic bond marked by mutual ambition and societal obstacles. ### [Maggie Ellersley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/maggie_ellersley) _friendship_ Maggie and Peter share a supportive friendship, often acting as confidants for each other. ### [Maggie Ellersley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/maggie_ellersley) _friendship_ Maggie and Peter share a supportive friendship, often acting as confidants for each other. ### [Meriwether Bye](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/meriwether_bye) _family_ Meriwether is Peter's father, a stern figure who pressures Peter to uphold family legacy. ### [Meriwether Bye](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/meriwether_bye) _family_ Meriwether is Peter's father, a stern figure who pressures Peter to uphold family legacy. ### [Philip Marshall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/philip_marshall) _rivalry_ Peter and Philip are rivals, competing for success and for the affections of Joanna and Maggie. ### [Philip Marshall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/philip_marshall) _rivalry_ Peter and Philip are rivals, competing for success and for the affections of Joanna and Maggie. ## In the story ### [There Is Confusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/there-is-confusion) Peter is torn between his love for Joanna and his sense of duty, facing racial prejudice as he navigates his identity. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/iii) First seen by Joanna Marshall as a dark, beautiful but shiftless boy; his lack of ambition is attributed to a warped heredity and tradition. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/iv) Peter is Meriwether's son, orphaned at twelve and raised by his aunt Susan Graves. He absorbs his father's bitterness toward white people and adopts a passive, entitled attitude, believing 'the world owes me a living.' ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/v) Peter moves in with his aunt after his father's death, bringing his meager belongings. He is kind but thoughtless, industrious yet shiftless, and shows a fascination with anatomy and geography. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/vi) A twelve-year-old new to the school, initially struggling but reveals a deep, intuitive knowledge of physiology, inspiring him to become a surgeon. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/vii) Visits the Marshall home, learns the dance, and shows growing admiration for Joanna; his aunt approves of his association with the family. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/x) Peter is twenty, planning to study medicine in Philadelphia for six or seven years. He is in love with Joanna and jealous of Brian. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xii) Peter declares his love for Joanna and stays in New York just to be near her. He works at a cabaret playing ragtime and spends the summer exploring the city with Joanna, culminating in their first kiss. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xiii) Peter is devoted to Joanna, working hard in Philadelphia, playing in a cabaret, and saving money. He is deeply in love and feels physical pain at the thought of separation, but channels his energy into his studies and social life. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xv) Deeply in love with Joanna, he gives her a ring and expresses frustration at her emotional distance; later, he reconnects with Maggie Ellersley in Philadelphia. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xvi) Proposes quitting surgery to become Joanna's accompanist, revealing his frustration with his studies and his love for her. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xvii) Peter vents his anger about racial prejudice in medical school and society, reveals his temptation to abandon his career, and later shows up haggard after a night at a cabaret, causing a rift with Joanna. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xviii) Receives Joanna's letters; responds formally, mentioning a 'final letter'; later announces his intention to marry Maggie Neal. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xix) Devastated by Joanna's letter, he proposes to Maggie out of spite and self-pity, then regrets his decision. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xx) Breaks off his engagement with Joanna via letter, citing his commitment to Maggie and her claim on him. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxi) Discussed as the one who left Joanna; Brian analyzes his color complex and his decision to turn to Maggie for an easier life. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxii) Struggles with racial prejudice and his identity as a black entertainer; quits his job and resolves to return to medical school after a humiliating encounter with Mrs. Lea. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxiii) Feeling trapped in his engagement to Maggie, he decides to return to his medical classes, causing a rift with Maggie who wants an immediate marriage. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxiv) Mentioned by Vera and Joanna as the man Joanna loved and sent away, still missed by Joanna. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxv) Visits Aunt Susan, reveals his break with Joanna, and rushes to see Maggie to break off their relationship. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxvi) Mentioned as Maggie's intended husband; his knife case is found at the scene, leading Joanna to suspect him. ### [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxviii) Mentioned as the subject of Joanna's disastrous love affair, which she has forgotten to sorrow over. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxix) Struggles with guilt, responsibility, and a desire for freedom; reflects on his past relationships and his friendship with Meriwether. ### [The Inferno of War and Brotherhood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxx) Endures racial prejudice and the horrors of war, bonds with Meriwether, and attempts to save him in No Man's Land. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxxi) Now a wounded lieutenant in France, he meets Maggie again at the canteen in Chambéry. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxxii) Maggie clarifies that her engagement to Peter was a mistake and is now broken off. ### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxxiii) Returned from war, has not contacted Joanna; Vera reports he spoke of Harley's bitterness and that Maggie is marrying Philip. ### [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxxiv) Returns from war, passes state-board exams, reconciles with Joanna, and visits Meriwether Bye's widow. ### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxxv) Visits Philip daily, and Philip is relieved that Peter seems unaware of their past misunderstanding. ### [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/chapters/xxxvi) Marries Joanna and moves into the Marshall home; undergoes a metamorphosis toward responsibility and self-reliance; rejects Meriwether Bye's offer of inheritance, asserting his freedom from the white Bye legacy. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters/peter_bye - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/there_is_confusion_se/characters