For those of you who might not have heard, Go Set a Watchman is a novel written by Harper Lee, and it's being billed as a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. The truth is, Go Set a Watchman was written before To Kill a Mockingbird but it was rejected by publishers. Lee put it aside, at some point wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, rocked the world with this amazing story that deals with lots of white vs. black issues, and recently someone found Go Set a Watchman and now it's on store shelves and coffee tables everywhere as people devour Lee's second and sure to be final novel.
In Watchman, Scout, who was about 8 or so in Mockingbird, is now in her late 20's and is coming home for a visit to check on her aging father (Atticus is now 72) and to deal with a persistent boyfriend (Henry/Hank) who wishes to marry her. During her time at home, Scout is reminded that she is an out-of-the-box sort of girl that no one in Maycomb really quite knows how to handle, even as an adult. Scout truly believes her place in the world is NYC because she can just be herself there and no one cares. However, she knows that her roots are in Maycomb and she seems to enjoy "woolgathering" as she calls it--remembering good times and good stories about her young life with Atticus and her neighbors and friends.
While she attempts to make sense of her relationship with Henry, a young lawyer that Atticus mentored, Scout stumbles into a situation, a Maycomb County Citizen's Council meeting, where she realizes that Atticus isn't exactly who she thinks he is. I have read and re-read this part of the book and Rob and I have talked about it until we realized that we were never going to agree (I feel compelled to add that he has read neither of Lee's books) and finally stopped talking about it altogether. I see what readers are talking about, I do. I see Scout's concern with Atticus, too. Upon hearing the discussion at the Citizen's Council meeting, it does seem as though Atticus has some racist/segregationist ideas which is alarming when you recall that he was the white lawyer defending a black man in Mockingbird. How is it possible that he could be racist? How? Well...when you hear the men talking about keeping blacks and whites separate, it seems clear. I just personally think there's more to it. And so does Scout's uncle, Atticus' brother, who tries to explain to Scout that the issue isn't quite as clear-cut as Scout believes it to be.
I know that I have a bad habit of reading and creating characters in my head to be more than they really are. They become real to me and I do know that Atticus is fictional. Lee created him and over the years he became God-like not just to Scout, but to readers, as well. Atticus Finch became the moral standard by which millions of people measured themselves and others. In Go Set a Watchman, Atticus is not the perfect man from Mockingbird. He's a human who has lived a long life and who has seen many things, but I just think there's more to the story. I just can't believe that Atticus is a racist man. I think he is a man trying to make sense of a confusing time the best he can. I think he is a brilliant lawyer who is trying to uphold the law the best he can while helping those who are wronged, regardless of their color. And I think he is trying hard to make sure that the US government doesn't make decisions based solely on color (which we all know is never a smart choice). Maybe I am Scout...maybe I have put Atticus on a pedestal, too...but I just don't think people can call Atticus a racist and have it be that simple. I just don't agree.
I also don't agree with the publishers who rejected this novel the first time around. It is quite a good story and well-written for a first time author. Truthfully, I question their reasons for denying publication of the book and I strongly suspect it has little to do with a poorly written first novel and more to do with the content and subject matter it explores from a governmental standpoint. Furthermore, I am beyond impressed that Lee was able to, within the body of Watchman, write a 1-2 page synopsis of Atticus's by now well-known trial and then was able to create an entire book (The Kill a Mockingbird) based on these few pages. That is truly amazing! It is also amazing to me that he nailed Scout's character both times--the little girl in Mockingbird is absolutely the same girl in Watchman. Same voice, same personality. Lee truly has a gift.
I hope that everyone out there reading this chooses to read Watchman, if they have read Mockingbird. If you haven't read either, do yourself a favor and read these books. Read Mockingbird first, but read them. They are brilliant. Harper Lee is brilliant. I hope that she realizes what an impact her books have made upon American society. She is deserving of every award and prize (including a Pulitzer and the Presidential Medal of Freedom) she's earned. And I feel lucky to have read both of her works. I am better for it.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
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