In case you have been living under a rock, Harper Lee, the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," has released her first new book in 55 years. "Go Set a Watchman" was released with much antipication on July 14. Like many other high schools students, I was forced to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" in my freshman English class. I enjoyed how the childhood view of the complex issue of race was examined through Scout's eyes. I appreciated how controversial it was and how it let me look through a window to a different time and place so that I, a white girl from New Jersey, could grasp the idea of racial tensions in the South of the 1930s.
"Go Set a Watchman" has been released with much controversy. After 55 years of Harper Lee saying she will never publish another book after the controversy "To Kill a Mockingbird" was met with, somehow now she has decided to release this book. "Go Set a Watchman" was written before "To Kill a Mockingbird." In fact, "Watchman" is the "parent" of "Mockingbird," as Lee calls it. When Harper Lee originally sent the "Go Set a Watchman" manuscript to the publishing company, they sent it back and said they would like something about Jean Louise "Scout" Finch's childhood. And so, "To Kill A Mockingbird" was born.
Now, Harper Lee is 89, is losing hearing and sight. Within her network of publishers, attorneys and family there is much argument as to whether Lee wanted this book to be released. Some in her inner circle say that she will sign anything you put in front of her and the other half say she is happy this book is being published. An investigation found there was no sign of "elder abuse" of Harper Lee.
Unfortunately, this is not the only controversy around the new book. Like many other people, I held Atticus Finch in the highest regard. In "To Kill a Mockingbird" Atticus was the voice of equality in a backwards county in Alabama. He helped Tom Robinson prove his innocence in a rape charge. Atticus Finch put his family, and his own well being at risk for the sake of proving Tom's innocence. He was the definition of a hero. This was further cemented in the movie where Atticus was played by Gregory Peck and was portrayed as the unwavering hand of justice.
Now in "Go Set A Watchman" Atticus is portrayed in a much darker light. "Go Set a Watchman," is set in 1960s Alabama during the civil rights movement. Scout has lost her childhood nickname for her real name Jean Louise and has returned for a visit to Maycomb after moving to New York. According to early readers, Jean Louise finds that Atticus is somewhat of a racist. Atticus questions the pros of desegregation and admits he once attended a Ku Klux Klan meeting. In this book, Jean Louise must come to terms with her father's true identity and see that her picture of him in her mind might be off.
There are people who refuse to read this new book due to their disgust of the new Atticus Finch racist personality. As a reader I suggest you take "Go Set a Watchman" on its own terms. It is a sequel that was written before "To Kill A Mockingbird." Yes, it has all the same characters as "To Kill a Mockingbird." No, the characters are not all going to have the same personalities. Just how Scout has to realize that Atticus is not the same person she remembered, the reader needs to realize that Harper Lee is allowed to have complex characters that may not be what they appear to be on the surface.
