The book is not sequel to ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. In fact, as reported, it was written prior to the publication of Harper Lee’s classic. Coming after 55 years of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, it needed some rework, but as Harper Lee had said she would never publish a book again, the lapses are tangible. But the rework on Jean Louise Finch as making her narrator and main protagonist is logically done here. It was logical to read the next story after ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ from her POV.
‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ was
idealistic. ‘Go Set A Watchman’ is realistic. ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ came at a
time when legal racial segregation was fighting last phase of its battle in
America. The book added to the sentiments in stirring a nation’s conscience and
Atticus Finch became a cultural symbol of anti-racial struggle in the US
society. ‘Go Set A Watchman’ has come at a time when the US is seen largely
anti-racist. Now is the time when people can look back in the past, as done
from time to time, in movies, in books, to see how the people of South saw
racial discrimination then.
The silent answer by Calpurnia
(page 160) – when Jean Louise Finch asks her – is pensively and profoundly
expressed by ‘bearing the burden of her years’. More than anything else, this
sentence captures the essence of the theme the book is based on.
Character development of Henry
Clinton is realistic, is according to the times prevalent in ‘then south’. He
may sound submissive at times, but this he does for his love – and that is
understood. And so is understood his logic when he justifies his and Atticus
Finch joining Citizens’ Council meeting and their views on racial segregation –
and his views of staying back and conforming to social norms of ‘then Maycomb’.
Transition of Jean Louise Finch
characters, though, deserves more words, her meeting with reality of the day
(and of the society) is logically explained in the book – ‘prejudice, a dirty
word, and faith, a clean one, have something in common: they both begin where
reason ends – ‘uncle Jack Finch’ tells Jean Louise (page 270-271). Irrespective
of the word flow between Jean Louise and her uncle in chapter 18, the sentence
essentially corresponds to the realization Jean Louise has – from Scout/Jean
Louise’s faith in Atticus Finch that prejudices her thoughts to the extent that
she starts looking at everything from her POV and Atticus becomes a repulsive
figure in her life – to a POV that retains her faith in Atticus Finch, his
father and a social man of Maycomb.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
