Go set a watchman (by Harper Lee)

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I read Harper Lee’s classic novel ‘To kill a mockingbird’ when I was in my teens at school. I don’t know that I really understood it, and was not inspired to read it again. Not until last month, that is, when I read it with an open mind, and very much enjoyed it. The reason was that the author’s other novel ‘Go set a watchman’ was chosen as this month’s local reading group book.

I did understand that it’s not - and was never intended as - a sequel to the first book. It was written first, and the publishers asked Harper Lee to write about earlier events. She did so, and the subsequent book became highly popular and is now considered a classic. ‘Go set a watchman’ was thought to be lost until it was discovered and then published about a year before the author died. 

I read it over the past few days. It features many of the same characters as ‘To kill a mockingbird’, and almost functions like a sequel although there are a lot of flashbacks. The girl formerly known as Scout is now twenty-six and goes by her full name of Jean Louise. She’s been working in New York, but is travelling back to her home town of Maycomb for her annual vacation.

Jean Louise’s father Atticus is now 72 and getting a bit frail. His sister Alexandra keeps house and looks after him. Calpurnia, their black maid and housekeeper, has retired. And - which shocked me - Scout’s brother Jem has also died. I’m not entirely sure why he ever existed in this original book since he only appears in Jean Louise’s flashback memories. However, Jem’s friend Henry is still around, and is courting Jean Louise. He would like to get married; he’s trained as a lawyer and works with Atticus. But she likes her independence and really doesn’t want to come back to live in Maycomb.

The first part of the book builds characters, moving fairly seamlessly into anecdotes from the past as Jean Louise sees reminders of events from her childhood, or talks to local people who recall her as a somewhat wild child. I can see why the publishers asked for a book about her childhood, as they’re possibly more interesting than the ‘present day’ story in the 1950s. But there’s not a lot of overlap, other than a reference to a court case which Atticus took on - and in this book, where it’s only referred to in passing, the outcome is given as the opposite to the outcome in ‘To kill a mockingbird’. A reminder that it isn’t a sequel; it’s an alternative version from an older perspective. 

However, I wasn’t at all happy when something happened that made me upset with Atticus - something that upset Jean Louise, too. He was absolutely my favourite character in ‘To kill a mockingbird’. Not perfect, but full of compassion, with time for his children, and without the terrible racism that was rife in the south of the United States in the earlier part of the 20th century. 

But suddenly he falls from his pedestal; Jean Louise is so disturbed that she becomes physically ill, and can hardly bear to look at him. Her reactions seems somewhat extreme to me, but then I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who seemed to be without any faults or failings. And I could certainly feel some of her shock - I found it very disappointing, although I did also wonder if the author deliberately changed him when she rewrote the book.

However, it’s mostly well-handled, if a tad complex politics-wise. I even looked up some of the references to organisations and movements I’d never heard of. And I was quite shocked at the apparent belief of the author that black people were less intelligent and developed than white people. This is something that even Jean Louise appears to think is the case, although she’s mixed with people of all colours and ethnicities in New York, and barely notices who sits down with her. 

I’m glad that I didn’t grow up in this kind of environment, or with any awareness of these prejudices and false beliefs. It still shocks me that segregation in parts of the US still continued as late as the 1950s, and that people were worried when new laws were passed saying that this was no longer allowed. 

‘Go set a watchman’ is well-written, and excellent from a social history point of view. I didn’t like it quite as much as the author’s better-known classic, but I’m glad I finally read it. I did appreciate the low-key humour in some of the interactions, and the three-dimensional characters. However I didn’t like the use of offensive language, even though it was probably used in this way in that era. 

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