To Kill a Mockingbird
MAYBE: Hold off on cynicism and embrace the unexpectedness of this development
By Dustin Levy
An American classic. A Pulitzer Prize-winner. That book I had to read in high school.
However you regard Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the novel’s courageous impression of early 20th-century racial turmoil in the Deep South resonates from the civil rights era to today, as evidenced by the novel’s status as a perennial bestseller.
So when news broke that the fates of classic characters like Boo Radley and Atticus Finch are documented beyond the confines of Mockingbird, it should have been met with merriment. And it has, to a degree. Since the announcement, preorders for the sequel, entitled Go Set a Watchman, pushed the novel to No. 1 on Amazon.com.
But with the news of Lee’s follow-up came controversy involving the author’s intentions in releasing the sequel after 55 years. Lee’s reputation as a recluse certainly makes the decision to release Go Set a Watchman curious, despite her lawyer’s defense against accusations of manipulation of the 88-year-old writer.
“She is a very strong, independent and wise woman who should be enjoying the discovery of her long-lost novel,” Tonja B. Carter told The New York Times. “Instead, she is having to defend her own credibility and decision making.”
But what do we even know about Lee? She’s “alive and kicking and happy as hell with the reactions to Watchman,” according to a statement from the author. Let’s try not rush to cynicism here.
Lee created the wholesome Finch family. She crafted Atticus’ gripping closing argument and the mystique of Boo Radley. If she imagined extended futures for these characters, those who love her storytelling should feel open to more.
Then there’s the disappointment factor. If Go Set a Watchman is not up to snuff, will it forever tarnish the legacy of Lee’s first title? The simple answer: No, it won’t. In the worst-case scenario, Go Set a Watchman would become a meager footnote of a literary masterpiece.
But the upside here is what launched Lee’s sequel to the top of the Amazon charts. To Kill a Mockingbird obviously touched so many, from those who grew up during the civil rights movement to the youths who are cracking open the book in a classroom right now. It’s all right to question the motivations of HarperCollins, Lee’s publisher, but there’s nothing wrong with feeling excited about the prospect of another adventure with Scout Finch, either.
To Kill a Mockingbird was not just a great American novel; it’s an influential one. Lee’s writing shaped young minds about racial intolerance and informed millions about a time and a place in American history through a child’s innocent voice.
So until July 14, let’s show some patience. The circumstances of the discovery of Lee’s old manuscript may draw skepticism, but Lee herself has acknowledged the criticism, saying she felt “hurt and humiliated” by it.
My suggestion is to embrace the suddenness of the announcement of Mockingbird’s follow-up. And when the time comes, read it before resorting to pessimism. Hasn’t Lee earned that good will? The Pulitzer Committee did award her, even if it was more than 50 years ago.
To Kill A Mockingbird made a lasting impression on me and millions of other young readers. Its legacy will never change, so the prospect of a continuation of the story of the Finches makes Go Set a Watchman worthy of taking a chance on by reading Lee’s words once again — whether that be in print, on a tablet, a mobile device or however the novel is available come this summer.
At the very least, do it for your ninth-grade English teacher.
NO: The original is too rooted in American culture for any sequel to compete with it
By Zoë DiGiorgio
In high school, a visiting author once said something to my English class that I’ve never forgotten: “There are some books you outgrow.”
My classmates and I were pretty stunned by that sentiment. How can anyone say that The Great Gatsby isn’t always great or that the Harry Potter series would ever lose its magic?
The author continued: “You can’t reread all the books you’re reading now and expect them to still work. Have you all read To Kill a Mockingbird? I tried rereading it in my thirties. It doesn’t hold up.”
Though I was reluctant to believe books had an expiration date, after this example, I began to understand and even agree with this point. I knew that there were great novels I read when I was younger that would have retained their nostalgia appeal but lost their literary value. Books such as The Island of the Blue Dolphins and Holes were wonderful when I was younger, but I don’t think I’d be able to stomach them now that I’m an adult.
With a sequel on the horizon for To Kill a Mockingbird, I’ve been reminded of the shelf life of books and how unlikely it is that a sequel to a classic of that caliber would reach audiences today.
While I know many readers are eager to read Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee’s sequel to her 1960 masterpiece, but I’m not so sure it will be able to carry the same esteem as its predecessor. Mockingbird is such an important American novel for several reasons; not only does it tenderly portray childhood experiences, but it also tackles race relations in the South during the middle of the 20th century in a powerful and memorable way. For many students across the country, reading this book in high school was the first they encountered that showed the troubling ways racism prevented justice in the South.
Lee’s sequel, planned for a July release, features heroine Scout Finch as an adult visiting her father Atticus. While in reality, Go Set a Watchman was written before To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s innocence and coming of age so completely define Lee’s work that it seems difficult to read about the adventures of postpubescent Scout. This age difference is especially jarring, given the 55 years that separate the publication of the novels.
Unlike series that are published over the course of a decade or so, the readers will not have the same experience of watching Scout grow with them. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from these characters. For many, reading about Scout’s life will be similar to perusing grandma’s memoirs.
Additionally, if the second novel was originally written in about 1960, then that time difference is going to feel even longer, especially in the terms of spirit of the nation. The United States of today is very different from the nation in the 1960s; while our country is experiencing similar race issues today as when Lee was writing, there are many changes in technology and the media that might make Go Set a Watchman fail to hold up to the scrutiny of time and a 2015 audience.
To Kill a Mockingbird has woven itself so deeply into our literary culture that it seems impossible to me that any sequel would be able to carry the weight of all the expectations heaped upon it. The passage of so many years between the publication of the timeless original and its sequel might prove too much for American readers. I think we’ve outgrown Maycomb, Alabama, and it’s time to move on.
