Go Set A Watchman A Look from Outside

Go Set A Watchman
By Harper Lee
     When I heard that Harper Lee was going to revise her character Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird I was ecstatic. I can remember reading it in school as a child and was drawn to the characters of the story. In fact it was one of my favorite novels of all time, I know there are many others out there who had similar experiences with Harper Lee's first book. To be Frank, it was special.
     That being said, I must admit I was pretty shocked when I heard some of the initial reviews given for her new work. Some were very negative as readers became upset with the journey Mrs. Lee took her character Scout & Atticus along with several other players.  Initially, I was disturbed by the negative press; This caused me to delay reading it for several weeks. I even debated if I wanted to see this new world she had created.
     Now I will let you know that there are some spoilers in this review so read on at your own risk. A necessary evil in order to help readers understand why this journey is perhaps just as special in Scouts life as the first one was.
     The reality is, as a writer I wasn’t sure just where she would take our Scout. It seemed as if there was no place else she could go, but I was mistaken. We catch up with Jean Louise Finch (AKA Scout) as a young woman in her twenties who now lives in New York. It is on a return visit that her story unfolds. The slow southern pace of Lee’s writing is soothing to say the least. She bravely touches on some hot issues that plagued the south in the early 60’s concerning racial conflict and bigotry after the Supreme Court in Brown vs. Board of Education decision that forced the integration of black and white students. It also gets into some of the conflicts with the NAACP that stirred up strong emotion in the south at that time.
     Underneath the conflict that initially puts daughter against father, there is so much more going on and that, I think is the true beauty of the story. For most of us there comes a time when we are forced to put aside the rose-colored glasses we see our parents through as children. Usually one or the other of our parents gets that special honor. As children, we tend to put them up on a pedestal, not unlike a false god with feet of clay. We are afforded the opportunity to see Scouts world no longer through the eyes of that child but  instead through the eyes of a woman coming to terms with the imperfection of her parent.
 

 Atticus Finch isn’t a racist monster as some have claimed, he is not unlike others in that his goal was to do damage control in his hometown during a time that tore the south apart. That she was able to show us this with compassion and grace, I felt didn’t diminish either character but brought them both into a less distant past. I didn’t walk away hating Atticus Finch for being a product of his values, or his time in history, nor could I fault Jean Louise for her dogged conviction. As a parent, I’ve seen that same doggedness in my children when they grasp an idea or view that may differ from my own.
     At the end of the day was  this book worth the read? Yes, most definitely. There are views that for their time in history, I felt were real and relatable. People found themselves in a position with the world changing before them. I had never seen the other side of the coin in regards to the racial integration, and the era of the civil rights. Although I do consider myself a staunch support of human rights I could understand the attempts to make the transition from where they had been to where they needed to go as painless as possible.
Go Set a Watchman touches on some sensitive subjects but if you take the time to listen it is very clear that the layers to this story are as beautiful woven together as her prior book. It may not be the “Politically Correct” moral compass for some but I think for many it truly is a lesson about growth and acceptance, but most of all love. Accepting those we love for who they are is a part of growing up. After all, we each do have to Go Set a Watchman in our own lives.