Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
Insight on the book: This is one book that I do not have
great thoughts for, it was recommended to me by another blog just like this one,
and it was actually well liked over there, this is another proof that we all
have different taste buds and in literature. So unlike me, you might find it
quite enjoyable but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, there’s still a book
to review.
The story
this piece is trying to tell is that of an advent of segregation between the
white and blacks in the south of America. The major character is called Jean
Louise, through her the author tries to weave the response of a member of this
said society to the segregations which in fact was a recent development. This
of course is just the main theme of the story, the book had other, let’s say
facets.
Jean Louise
Finch is a strong willed, independent female, the opposite of her
contemporaries who were quite the typical southern belles. She was raised by
her father and a beloved nanny, Calpurnia who was of the other race (an important
detail), she was raised as the second child of a family with a household name
in the small town of Maycomb (everyone knew the name Finch). She absolutely
adored her father, Atticus Finch, to her he could do no wrong, his opinions,
judgments and general actions could not be faulted. However, this near worship
of her father was shattered during this particular annual visit home, when she
found him to be a part of the ‘segregation promoting party’ which she saw as
not only as a sort of betrayal but as despicable. She found that the whole town
was changed, almost everyone had chosen a side, and even Calpurnia stopped
regarding her as a friend but as just another white person. Jean Louise could
not comprehend this animosity she said:
“You will not believe
me, but I will tell you: never in my life until today did I hear the word
nigger spoken by a member of my family. Never did I learn to think I terms of
The Niggers. When I grew up, and I did grow up with black people, they were
Calpurnia, Zeebo the garbage collector, Tom the yard man, and whatever else
their names were……. They as a people did not enter my world, nor did I enter
theirs: when I went hunting I did not trespass on a Negro’s land, not because
it was a Negro’s but because I was not supposed to trespass on anybody’s land,
I was taught never to take advantage of anybody who was less fortunate than
myself, whether he be less fortunate in brains, wealth, or social position; it
meant anybody not just Negroes. I was given to understand that the reserve was
to be despised. That is the way I was raised, by a black woman and a white
man.”
This explains her general perspective of the social
difference in her society. After the discovery, Jean Louise realizes that its
either she stays and be a part of the change and help where she could or she lets
go of Maycomb County completely.
The earlier parts of this book tries to set the locale of the
story which included the age (definitely the pre-internet age) and general
beliefs of these people. This is where I started losing interest in the book, of
course there where interesting little tidbits in these parts but the real story
is not to be discovered until the later chapters of the book. The writer managed
to lose the captivation of the reader before even getting to the point in fact
only my obligatory feelings with gritting teeth saw me through to the end, I
found the book tiring and slow-paced. Also when I noticed the continuous use of
‘Negro’ by the author I wondered if the writer had some kind of challenge in
describing the locale without the word, in fact I was ready to say the whole
literature of the book (which by the way is not an easy read) has been
compromised but on further reading and discovery of the plot, its use became
apt. The beginning, middle and ending of this book has almost no symmetry, the
plot follows different paths such that the parts of the plots are almost not attached
as a whole. Translation – in the earlier parts the book is focused on the
characters, their life before the said time, the culture of the town; the
middle brings the segregation issue; the end just focuses on the main character’s
response to the above, her realization and eventual decision. My point is in
all these parts one would think that the book was heading in different
directions, this could have been a good thing as it would make the book
unpredictable and perhaps add an intrigue but in this case, it made the book
unsymmetrical.
On the plus side, there are these interesting stories about
the main character’s childhood they were quite funny. So this particular one is
about how she thought she got pregnant after being pecked by a boy (her friends
told her that), then she decided to commit suicide so her family won’t be
shamed. She then planned the whole thing kept it a secret and waited until it
was time, well someone saved her. These stories helped a lot in understanding
the characters of the book.
Title: Go set
a watchman. The title was mentioned twice, first by the pastor when he preached
a Bible verse with the words in it, the second was by Jean Louise during her
reflections wanted to be set a watchman who would also see what she seemed to
be the only one noticing.
Life Message: I
almost don’t have anything to pick out of this book, yes certainly it has a
plot, characters, climax and everything. But on second thoughts, I could say- don’t
be too quick to judge. When Jean Louise found her father in a meeting with
people known to support segregation she concluded that her father was also a
part of it, she then goes ahead to confront him without pausing to consider his
motives which she discovers later on is the opposite of his actions, but too
late, she already ‘cried wolf’.
Favorite Quote: “Love is the only thing in this world
that is unequivocal. There are different kinds of love certainly but it’s a you
do or you don’t proposition with them all” This came up concerning Jean Louise who is
not only independent but also cautious regarding love and marriage, she wants
to make the right choice which is why she hasn’t married her longtime
boyfriend, Henry or maybe it was just uncertainty but she knew “she was almost in love with him”. I
agree with the quote, its either you’re in love or you’re not.
Rating: 4/10
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