Review of Go Set a Watchman
I read the New York Times' review of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman, and I was scared. It described the book as the equivalent of a horror remake of To Kill a Mockingbird. I did not want to read this new installment of Harper Lee's. However, being a student of literature, I knew that others would most likely be asking me about it, and so I read it.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, the answers are simple. Stand up for the Negroes. The justice system will prevail rightly and protect those without privilege. Children can trust their parents to make wise choices. In Go Set a Watchman, Maycomb has changed. Jean Louise (Scout) does not enjoy these changes, and she confronts her worst fear: she and her father disagree. Though Atticus Finch appears to have changed, he has not really. He forces his twenty-six year old daughter to grow up.
Jean Louise finds a new ally in her aunt Alexandra and an old one in her uncle Jack. The reader also learns about her relationship with possible boyfriend Henry Clinton. It annoyed me that Henry was not in TKAM. The reader learns about his character through what Harper Lee chooses to reveal. All in all, Go Set a Watchman was not as terrifying as I anticipated and is a worthy follow-up to the original.
GSAW will most likely change how To Kill a Mockingbird is taught in public schools. Will teachers teach them side-by-side or one and then the other? I would approve of one and then the other. As Jean Louise grows up, students can grow up with her.
Thanks for reading!
In To Kill a Mockingbird, the answers are simple. Stand up for the Negroes. The justice system will prevail rightly and protect those without privilege. Children can trust their parents to make wise choices. In Go Set a Watchman, Maycomb has changed. Jean Louise (Scout) does not enjoy these changes, and she confronts her worst fear: she and her father disagree. Though Atticus Finch appears to have changed, he has not really. He forces his twenty-six year old daughter to grow up.
Jean Louise finds a new ally in her aunt Alexandra and an old one in her uncle Jack. The reader also learns about her relationship with possible boyfriend Henry Clinton. It annoyed me that Henry was not in TKAM. The reader learns about his character through what Harper Lee chooses to reveal. All in all, Go Set a Watchman was not as terrifying as I anticipated and is a worthy follow-up to the original.
GSAW will most likely change how To Kill a Mockingbird is taught in public schools. Will teachers teach them side-by-side or one and then the other? I would approve of one and then the other. As Jean Louise grows up, students can grow up with her.
Thanks for reading!
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