‘Go Set A Watchman’ is to hit
stores today and since it is coming from a celebrated author of a masterpiece
that is appreciated and loved globally, stories on its content and its release
are flooding the spaces – readers’ thoughts and media analyses.
And what is adding to the aura of
anticipation (and the controversy) is the long gap – some 55 years.
Harper Lee’s ‘Go Set A Watchman’
is reaching to its readers today. It is her second novel in her whole career
and it comes after 55 years when ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ was published in 1960 -
on July 11.
Reviews say the book is based on Jean
Louise Finch/ Scout Finch, daughter of Atticus Finch. Reviews say fans of
‘Atticus Finch’ will find hard to accept a ‘racial Atticus Finch’ here. Reviews
say many readers who love ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ will ignore this book.
Reviews say the book is from a draft written in 1950s but discovered recently. Some
reviews says even the third book is going come out. Some reviews also write
about the literary cohesiveness of the work.
So, there is an intensive debate
all around. And maximum words go for the character of Atticus Finch, the
greatest American hero as voted by the American Film Institute. And Atticus has
been chosen so for his character traits - anti-racial, humanely and straight family
man.
Let's see what some of the
headlines say:
'More complex than Harper Lee's
original classic, but less compelling' - is what Mark Lawson writes in The
Guardian. Gaby Wood in The Telegraph finds in 'an anxious work in progress'. The
Wall Street Journal's Jeffrey A Trachtenberg says after reading many reviews
that 'this Atticus in Go Set A Watchman is no saint'. ABC News analysis comes
to the conclusion that the upcoming books shows dark side of Atticus Finch. According
to a piece on BBC's website, the book reveals 'Finch as a bigot'. Jay Parini on
CNN categorizes the book 'as a bombshell'.
Daniel D’Addario in Time finds the book and Finch's character in it a
'growing up' experience. The Washington Post's Natasha Trethewey writes about a
'less noble Atticus Finch'. Daniel Arkin, while writing for NBC News, sees a
possibility that the book 'could irk kids named after Atticus Finch'. Matilda
Battersby in The Independent suggests the changes 'can be explained with the
nature of Harper Lee's father on whom the character of Atticus Finch is based'.
Alexandra Alter in The New York Times takes a booking approach when she writes
- 'while some are shocked by ‘Go Set a Watchman,’ others find nuance in a bigoted
Atticus Finch'.
And there are many more.
'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a
timeless classic and its popularity was amplified globally by the movie of the
same name based on it. The movie came within two years of the book - in 1962 -
and the quick film adaptation took the appeal of the book even far and wide.
A raging debate on 'racial'
Atticus Finch tells why 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a masterpiece. In fact the
global appeal of Atticus Finch, outside America, owes largely to the film
version of the movie and has become a cultural phenomenon with changing times -
in times when racism in legally illegal.
I would be looking at 'Go Set A
Watchman' as yet another work and would like to know the author more with
character treatments here. For me, Atticus Finch of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is
going to remain the same. And I believe it would be so for the majority. I
didn't read most of the reviews. Their headlines did the work for me - for what
I was looking at.
'Go Set A Watchman' will be in
stores today - and readers would like to have their own review.
After all - “best way to clear
the air is to have it all out in the open”- as Atticus Finch says.
Reports say it could be the 'fastest
selling book on record'. A report in The Independent says pre-sale orders of
the book have surpassed the final Harry Potter book.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
