Publication of New Harper Lee Book Should Never Have Happened
by Emma Tanner
I think we’ve all heard about the recent Go Set a Watchman controversy, as it seems to be the only thing any literary enthusiast can talk or write about. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as anyone who loves and cherishes Harper Lee’s original masterpiece is likely to be concerned about why, after over 50 years, the woman who claimed she’d never publish another novel after Mockingbird, has “agreed” in her old age to publish Watchman — a novel that was written prior to Mockingbird’s publication in 1960, with many of the same characters, but fails to live up to the reputation of Mockingbird for more reasons than one.
Watchman is set about 20 years after Mockingbird. Some of the main characters, including Atticus Finch, are in both novels. Atticus is portrayed very differently in Watchman than he is in Mockingbird, however. In Watchman, he is a segregationist advocating for the separation of the races, as was popular at the time. In Mockingbird he is the incarnation of fairness and enlightened race relations, as he advocates for equality before the law and in society. So, how could anyone think Lee intended for both novels to be published? It doesn’t make sense.
I’m one to respect others’ personal wishes, whether they are professional or personal. That is not what has happened with the public release of Watchman. After Mockingbird was published, Lee swore she wouldn’t publish another novel. I, along with many others, don’t believe Lee’s original intention was to ever have Watchman published. In doing so, those at HarperCollins, the book’s publisher in the United States, have disrespected a beloved literary legend and undermined her art, brilliance, hard work and legacy. In fact, Watchman is believed by many to merely be a “draft” of what became her final work. As Joe Nocera of The New York Times wrote, “A publisher that cared about Harper Lee’s legacy would have … declined to publish Go Set a Watchman, the good idea that Lee eventually transformed into a gem.”
Additionally, it is possible that Lee, in her old age, has been taken advantage of. I believe it to be very unlikely that she is in the state of mind to make a genuine decision regarding the publication of her “newly discovered” novel. Exhibit A: She is 89 years old, mentally and physically feeble. Exhibit B: She lives in an assisted living center because of her difficulties with hearing and sight, and her history with strokes, according to Nocera. Exhibit C: As soon as her sister and trusted caretaker, Alice, passed away, the book was suddenly “discovered” by her new “protector,” Tonja Carter — seems awfully convenient.
While considering Lee’s long-time desire to never publish another book, it seems the publication of Watchman may be no more than a selfish and sinister attempt by family and close relations to rake in the dough as Lee takes a backseat, unable to defend herself and properly preserve her legacy. As soon as the book hit the shelves, more than 1.1 million copies were sold within a week, “making it the ‘fastest-selling book in company history,’ ” according to Nocera. Of course it will gross massive amounts of money, which, after Lee passes away, will leave those who betrayed her — family and publishing crew alike — with more than a large fortune for their shameless deed.
It pains me to see a book and author I love dearly treated with such apparently slimy and greedy intentions. While staying faithful to a book that influenced my childhood, and even adult life almost more than any other, I write here to call out those who have taken advantage of a work of sheer brilliance for their own gain. While I do hope that such an act will not disgrace the work, life and legacy of Harper Lee, I’m sorry to say that I believe it will. Go Set a Watchman should never have been published.
“Go Set a Watchman” Gives Better Context and Development to Lee’s Classic Novel
by Elyse Jost
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird may be one of the greatest and most influential novels in American literature. Recently, another novel, Go Set a Watchman, was also published in Lee’s name, to some controversy. Why the controversy, you ask? For one thing, many readers believe this second take on Mockingbird portrays the beloved character, Atticus Finch, as racist. As well as this unlikely turn in character development, many do not believe Harper Lee is currently able to make publishing decisions, as she is not completely in the right frame of mind, and that, therefore, her opinion was glossed over. Instead, they claim her publishers and agents made the decision to publish the book for her.
Do I believe that any person, capable or incapable of defending themselves, deserves to have a major decision be made for them? No. I am not arguing this book needed to be published and sold this year. With her previously-established audience ready to get their hands on anything made by Lee, the book is naturally going to sell and will generate substantial profits, which will eventually be passed on to Lee’s family and colleagues. While this may not be the most ethical way the publication could have taken place, there is, however, a valid reason for releasing the work that Harper Lee completed 10 years before the original release of To Kill a Mockingbird.
How many authors have had works found, restored and published after they passed away? The reason for not knowing the order of Shakespeare’s sonnets is because he was not around to tell the publishers how to set them. In essence, we are weighing the addition of new, potentially brilliant work to an author’s portfolio versus when and how the piece is being presented to the public. How many graduate students’ thesis papers and work on Shakespeare would have been drastically different had the sonnets not been published because of a mere debate on the numbering of the sonnets? With or without the intervention of her caretaker and publishers, eventually, Lee’s work would have been found. It would have been researched, analyzed and eventually given to the public to enrich the story we already know and love.
For those who believe that because Atticus Finch is described as “racist” in Go Set a Watchman and therefore discredit the novel, I have one thing to say: character development. Nobody wants to believe that the man who indirectly saved a small Southern town from injustice had previously fallen into the trap of that small-town mentality. But without this original version of Finch, would Lee have been able to make him the strong, life-altering character he eventually became? I highly doubt it.
Overall, I believe that, while this novel should not have been made public in the way it was released, it will eventually be accepted for what it is worth. It will only add to the repertoire of Harper Lee, and be used to further enrich her classically modern, Pulitzer prize-winning work.