In the late 19th century, America was grappling with who it was as a country. The liberation of African Americans at the end of the Civil War did not make things easier. Before the war, America was primarily seen as a country run by Caucasians. Whereas after the war, African-Americans were not necessarily treated better. The war did not give America a sense of identity. African Americans were no longer treated equally. The search for identity was not limited to black and white. It also involved Native American culture. Alone, each culture had its own identity. However, they were mixed. It was confusing not only from the perspective of one culture looking at another, but also from the perspective of the person who doesn't know they have mixed heritage. Writers, men and women, as well as white and black, wrote about the difficulties associated with a culture that was not appreciated. Through these stories, George Washington Cable and Grace King are two writers of this era who described the difficulties of finding an identity. George Washington Cable was born in 1844 in New Orleans. My mother's side of the family was New England Puritan. His father's side was German, from a Virginia slave-owning family. When he was fourteen, his father died. This forced Cable to leave school to find a job. At nineteen he enlisted in the Fourth Mississippi Cavalry. After the war, he worked as a surveyor for the Atchafalaya River levees. While working, he contracted malaria, which allowed him to begin writing. He began by writing columns for the New Orleans Picayune. After his marriage, he worked as a journalist, then kept books for a cotton company. He did not go to school to receive his education. Before working, he spent his time reading and writing, teaching himself French and learning much of the old New Orleans records. This allowed him to gain insight into many of his writings which brought him national recognition. Using his knowledge of various cultures, he transformed them into stories about the different cultures of the region. The story "Tite Poulette" takes place in New Orleans and focuses on race and race relations. Kristian is a white man who moves to New Orleans.