Go Set a Watchman (Book Review)

“For thus hath the Lord said unto me,

Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” (Isaiah 21:6)

In order to appreciate this book, I think it is important to understand the concept that ‘Go Set a Watchman’ was not written as a sequel to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Rather, this was a first draft of Harper Lee’s award winning novel and was written several years before TKAM was even published. Atticus Finch, the saintly lawyer from Lee’s first novel, is not necessarily the same character from GSAW and therefore should not be displaced by this new, controversial Atticus who clearly is a flawed human being. Once this attachment between the two novels is divested, the scope and depth of ‘Go Set a Watchman’ can be fully appreciated.

The story begins with Scout, now Jean Louise, a 26 year old woman who has been living in New York City for several years, returning to her home town of Maycomb. She reflects on hilarious childhood events involving the antics of her brother Jem and friend Dill, while she spends time with Henry, her oldest friend and the man she is considering marrying, and her father and Aunt Alexandra. Very soon, she becomes baffled by the changes she sees in her beloved Maycomb. The values and traditions of the old generations are fading away and relationships between the black and white communities are growing increasingly tense. White men and women spout anger at the civil rights movement and the actions of the NAACP in Alabama. At the same time, black men and women are becoming more forthright with their frustration over their treatment by the rest of the town.

These changes alarm and confuse Jean Louise, who has long considered herself ‘color blind’ in regards to race. When she discovers Henry’s and her father’s involvements in white supremacist establishments, she has to learn to deal with her sudden anger and sense of betrayal. She especially has to learn to cope with the realization that her father is not the man she always thought him to be.

I am not upset that Atticus’ character is so different than in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ The Atticus in that novel is a different Atticus in ‘Go Set a Watchman.’ However, there is still much to take from this redefined Atticus. Just as Jean Louise must do, we as readers must learn to accept that no matter how good and moral a person may be, he or she is flawed as every human being is flawed. This new book allows us to see, through our spirited and rebellious narrator, that sometimes it is not wrong to rebel against the hypocrisy or injustices we see in society or even in our own families.

Overall, I was delighted to find this that book contains very powerful messages about injustice, human rights, and the power of forgiveness. Lee’s message on what it means to become our own selves in a society of conformity is very compelling and has much bearing on society to this day. The narrator’s flashbacks to her childhood are both funny and heartwarming and remind me very much of the Scout of TKAM. It is for these reasons I remain glad I took the chance in reading this novel, as it proved to be both a humorous and thought-provoking read.