HARPER LEE'S NEW NOVEL: What happened to Atticus Finch?

"Jean Louise," she said, I would like to remind you of a few facts of life...You are as innocent as a new-laid egg for all your city living. Henry is not and never will be suitable for you. We Finches do not marry the children of rednecked white trash, which is exactly what Henry's parents were when the were born and were all their lives."

 -Aunt Alexandra giving advice to Jean Louise (Scout) regarding her relationship with Hank in Harper Lee's new novel, Go Set a Watchman (Chapter 3, p. 36)



Good morning to all of you, my amazing readers, who live in California, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Washington, and the nation of Turkey. Did I miss some of you? If I did, please leave a comment below so that I can thank you for reading my entries. I'm sure that I don't know the names of many of you. It's a stormy morning here in Durham, NC, but we do need the rain. We live near a creek, and it has been bone-dry for most of the summer. I know that the many animals who live in our woods need rain desperately: turtles, deer, raccoons, foxes, and frogs. I know that some of you live in areas where it has rained constantly this summer, and some of you live in areas of extreme drought. Is there no middle ground? Well, we can't do anything about the weather, so we will just have to deal with it.

I finished reading Harper Lee's new book, Go Set a Watchman, a few days ago and I've been looking forward to sharing my thoughts here. The first thing that I wanted to know when I began reading the book was how the book got its name. Arielle Landau wrote an article for www.mydailynews.com back in February of this year that helps to explain this. The title comes from Isaiah 21:6 in the Bible, a chapter that is filled with prophecies against Babylon and Edom. In the King James Version, this verse reads, "For this hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth." I wonder if it's intentional that Harper Lee didn't put a comma after the first word in her title, "Go," as is seen in the KJV. Do you see any difference in "Go, set" or "Go set?" I definitely read the two differently. Do you think it means something? Wayne Flynt, a Baptist minister and historian, explains that in Isaiah 21, Isaiah is prophesying about the downfall of Babylon. He adds that Lee probably was comparing Monroeville (the setting of the novel) to Babylon since it also was made up of many hypocritical people who were immoral. Flynt further explains that somebody needs to be identified as the watchman who can call people out on their immoral behaviors, out of their messes (www.mydailynews.com, 2/15/15). It seems to me that Jean Louise Finch (Scout, daughter of Atticus) may be the watchman in this book, because she seems to be the only one who questions the racism in her hometown. Go Set a Watchman was published 55 years after To Kill a Mockingbird, This new book was originally written in the mid-1950s, and it was first submitted to be published BEFORE To Kill a Mockingbird. We aren't sure what happened along the way, but some people believe that the manuscript was lost and was not discovered until 2014. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, a little while after Go Set a Watchman, yet this newly published book seems to be a sequel to the first.

So what's all the buzz about regarding Harper Lee's new book? I've read what some people think about it, and I have my own view. Of course, this is a novel so Lee can write anything she wants. Secondly, we do see a different Atticus. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is characterized as hero of equal rights, a champion for the Negro community in his town. He fights for the freedom of a Black man who was falsely accused of rape, and he wins. Scout and her brother, Jem, grew up in a home led by their dad, whom they adored, and their Black housemaid, Calpurnia. Scout and Jem adored Atticus and were proud of the stand that he took against racism. Atticus was a hero, for sure, and yet we see a different man in the new book (at least from the perspective of Jean Louise). In the new book Atticus is a more complex man, a man who is on a council that has racist views, and Jean Louise is completely baffled. She is now 26 years old and lives in New York City, and when she returns to Alabama for a 2-week period, she finds that her father has changed. Her boyfriend, Hank, has changed as well. Uncle Jack, Aunt Alexandra, and Hank offer Jean Louise some insight into the views of Atticus, and they all seem to share these beliefs. In Chapter 17, Atticus tries to explain his views to his daughter. At one point he says, "Let's look at this way...you realize that our Negro population is backward, don't you? You will concede that? You realize the full implications of the word "backward,' don't you?" He soon asks Jean Louise if she actually wants Blacks to have complete equal rights as white people. He asks her if she really wants them in her world, in the theaters, churches, and schools. Her response to this is, "They're people, aren't they? We were quite willing to import them when they made money for us" (p.240). So, it seems that Atticus is finding ways to blend in to his community instead of being set apart as one against many. I think he is a different man in this book, a man who is defined by how things really are in the South at the time. He seems to want to just blend in with everyone else, and he isn't ready to share his town equally and fairly with Black people. The new Atticus sort of bursts our bubble about him.

I hope you will read Go Set a Watchman. It's easy reading, so you can read it in just a few days. Get on the bandwagon to see what all of the buzz is about. Even though you will be disappointed in the changes in Atticus, you will enjoy the story. Let me know if you are reading it and what you think.

Here are the next ten books from my card catalog:

1. 2nd Chance by James Patterson
2. I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
3. Further Along the Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, M.D.
4. A Child Called 'It' by Dave Pelzer
5. The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer
6. Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti
7. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti
8. The Visitation by Frank Peretti
9. I Never Promised You a Hot Tub by Doug Peterson (a creative look at the Beatitudes)
10. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The storm is finally over...good news for me! Have a great week.

-Melissa Hill
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com

I found this tiny, 2-inch turtle on my front sidewalk a few weeks ago. So, so cute! I took him to the creek area so that he wouldn't have to spend the next year making his way to water.