Go Set a Watchman discussion

Brendan Geesey
Ms. Carteaux
Honors English 1, F Period
September 30 2015
Go Set a Watchman Review
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee was the book I chose for my SRP project. It told the story of Jean Louise Finch twenty years after To Kill a Mockingbird. When she returns home to Maycomb she struggles with some issues occurring at home. Throughout the story we see her trying to solve these issues while at the same time trying to hold herself together emotionally as the struggle to save her father tears her apart. One main theme is family is the most important thing. My opinion of the book was it is a overrated disappointment that ruined the first novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
This novel was a tragic and disappointing sequel to a great novel. What Harper Lee did to the character Atticus Finch can only be described as tragic. In this story, he is portrayed as having racist views, even attending meetings for the KKK. I understand the point was to make him more humanized and not as much of a flawless character like he was in the first book; however, I think that Ms. Lee took it too far. They didn't change the character as much as they made a completely new character with the same name. "Integrity, Humor, and patience were three words for Atticus Finch," (Lee 114). This quote is said about halfway through the book, and it is very true to the old Atticus. However as he aged in the racist community he was changed and corrupted. This was just one of my many problems with the book.
In the end this book can only be described as a tragedy. It permanently tainted my views on Atticus Finch who is a beloved character of literature. On top of that it affected a timeless book such as To Kill a Mockingbird. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee permanently tainted Ms. Lee's legacy and at the same time skewed everyone's views on Atticus, ruining the beloved series.

Brendan wrote: "This novel was a tragic and disappointing sequel to a great novel. What Harper Lee did to the character Atticus Finch can only be described as tragic..."

I suggest that you look into the publishing history of the two books. Watchman was written before Mockingbird. I regard Watchman as a first draft, or part of a work-in-progress that later became Mockingbird.

IMO, Atticus Finch did not change into a bigot. Rather, Harper Lee revised and rewrote her manuscript for two years , and re-imagined her story from Watchman to Mockingbird. She created a different character for Atticus in Mockingbird to fit the needs of a different story. Writers work that way.

The records of HL's literary agents, 1957-1960, show how HL began with Watchman, continued to revise her manuscript, and at some point changed the name of her book from Watchman to Mockingbird. Link to records at Columbia U manuscripts library:
https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/rbml/2...

Brendan wrote: "They didn't change the character as much as they made a completely new character with the same name."

It was sharp of you to pick that up. Many readers don't notice that.

For fun, I suggest that you imagine Watchman with different names to the characters and the town. What is the story of Watchman if you totally ignore Mockingbird? What are the characters of Watchman like? Remember, Watchman was written before Mockingbird, so readers should not refer back to Mockingbird in their analysis (they do anyway). Mockingbird did not exist when Watchman was written.

Watchman was HL's first attempt to write a novel. At the time she was a beginner, working by herself. Early drafts like Watchman are not intended to be published as commercial novels. They are written to help the author develop the book. Early drafts are usually kept with the author's papers for literary scholars who want to track the author's progress as a writer. Many critics have said that Watchman should never have been published, and question whether HL gave valid consent to its publication.

Alicia wrote: "For me this book was mainly about Jean Louise growing up and becoming able to see things she couldn't as a child. In "To Kill a Mockingbird" it is Scout's point of view as a child..."

This is a common back story that readers tell themselves to connect the two mismatched books. It's important to remember that Watchman was written before Mockingbird. Watchman contains inconsistencies, especially the outcome of the trial, and passages that were copied word for word into Mockingbird.

I view Watchman as a discarded early draft of Mockingbird. It's not a sequel. The child character of Scout in Mockingbird was not yet written nor fully conceived when HL wrote Watchman. So how can the "child's view" of Scout in Mockingbird be assumed in the "adult view" of Jean Louise in Watchman? That doesn't make sense to me.

CS wrote: "Brendan wrote: "This novel was a tragic and disappointing sequel to a great novel. What Harper Lee did to the character Atticus Finch can only be described as tragic..."

I suggest that you look in..."

Except for the fact that Harper Lee herself states that it is a sequel, you are 100% correct.

Proves to me that NO WAY did Harper Lee write "To Kill a Mockingbird." After all these years, the rumors are true, Capote wrote Mockingbird. Harper Lee obviously never had the talent to write it.

Brendan wrote: "Brendan Geesey
Ms. Carteaux
Honors English 1, F Period
September 30 2015
Go Set a Watchman Review
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee was the book I chose for my SRP project. It told the story of Je..."
Brendan, just remember that for years there have been rumors that Lee never wrote Mockingbird and Truman Capote did. It's obvious that yes, Capote wrote Mockingbird and if you read Capote's early works (Other Voices, Other Rooms for example) you'll most likely agree.

Brett wrote: "Except for the fact that Harper Lee herself states that it is a sequel, you are 100% correct..."

What is your source for this statement by HL? I'm not aware of any statements like that by HL; quite the opposite.

NY Times article gives HL quote that GSAW was "parent" or precursor to TKAM.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/03/boo... (third paragraph from end)

And, if this is an early draft, then fine, but that's not what the publisher specifically puts on the jacket. This is being sold as a novel, by the publisher! At a price of $27.99. If it's a first draft, fine, publish it as such in mass market format for maybe $9.99. Or don't publish it at all, it's ridiculously bad, even for a draft.

Greg wrote: "And, if this is an early draft, then fine, but that's not what the publisher specifically puts on the jacket. This is being sold as a novel, by the publisher! At a price of $27.99. If it's a first ..."


Well, that's the crux of it.

Harper Lee never published this. In the 60's, before she became a total and complete recluse and when people were hungry for a sequel, she didn't break this out of mothballs, clean it up, and publish it. In the '70's and 80's, when people were still hungry, she published a few short stories and articles, but she never cleaned this up and never published. If I remember my history, she specifically said she had no plans to publish this. We knew it existed. As part of her bio, we knew there was an initial manuscript that wasn't published.

Lee's lawyer can yammer until the end of time, saying Lee wanted this published. Lee's sister died in November or December and Lee's lawyer found this ... found it, please ... in January or February and they announced it would be published in February.

Lee was used. The people were used. But, ultimately, Lee is truly the one who was used. She's almost blind, almost deaf, and not herself since her stroke. She was used, which is a crying shame ... though the investigators for the state said she wasn't abused. Those of us who bought this book, for full price, allowed ourselves to be used by the lawyer and the publisher who care more for $$ than for the truth.

Shannon wrote: "(Lee) was used, which is a crying shame ... though the investigators for the state said she wasn't abused."

When the contract for GSAW was signed, the Alabama Securities Commission investigated the transaction because of charges of elder abuse against HL. The ASC found no problem with HL's consent. In some ways, I think this investigation did more harm than good, because it gave the appearance that everything was OK.

When you look beneath the surface, the ASC's job is to investigate financial fraud, not elder abuse. As far as I know, it made no medical determination of HL's condition to give proper consent. I think that's what's really needed here.

“We’re not medically trained. We don’t do mental capacity tests. But she knew she was publishing a book,” says Joseph Borg, director of the commission.
http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/201...

The state agency that really handles elder abuse is the Alabama Dept of Human Resources, Adult Protective Services. They have not acted.
http://dhr.alabama.gov/services/Adult...

CS wrote: "“We’re not medically trained. We don’t do mental capacity tests. But she knew she was publishing a book,” says Joseph Borg, director of the commission.
http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/201...

The state agency that really handles elder abuse is the Alabama Dept of Human Resources, Adult Protective Services. They have not acted.
http://dhr.alabama.gov/services/Adult... "


Good info. Thanks.

She might have "known" she was publishing, but I doubt she was able to tell anyone why she was publishing, why now after so much time. No one got that out of her, which isn't shocking. One of the only reporters allowed to meet with her said Lee said something like "yes, don't be silly" when asked if she agreed to publishing the book. From what I gathered, no follow-up questions were asked. Give me a break.

It's very sad.