This past weekend, the famous author Harper Lee passed away. She was best known for her novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a coming-of-age story of following a lawyer, Atticus Finch, and his daughter, Scout, who struggle against the racism of their small town. It’s a beloved classic and a personal favorite of mine.
For most of her life, this was the only book Lee wrote. However, last year she published a new novel, “Go Set A Watchman,” which became the subject of major controversy.
“Watchman” features an adult Scout returning to her home, forced to come to grips with her father’s racist beliefs. I’ve always been a big fan of Atticus and considered him my literary step dad, so finding out he was a closet racist was pretty jarring. But this nasty surprise wasn’t the only thing rubbing readers the wrong way.
Those close to Lee maintain she would never have allowed this to be published. In fact, she had openly announced she would never write another book. Technically, this book was the original draft of “Mockingbird,” but it seems like it wasn’t edited much beyond the draft phase.
The timing of its publication is also troublesome. Many of Lee’s former agents had been fired or let go. Lee had also lost some of her mental acuity. Although the publishers said this was all legal and Lee was competent enough to consent, the entire situation smells fishy to me.
Lee herself had her entire life to publish this book. To me, this late-in-life publishing just appears to be her greedy publishers so desperately wanting one last best seller before she died.
“Watchman” has been widely panned by everyone, and I think we’ve collectively agreed to save Atticus from his racist fate by treating this sequel as non-canon. Honestly, I’m glad the novel didn’t succeed, because it’s nothing more than a cynical, lazy cash grab.
However, the novel does give insight into the process of creating a novel. It’s interesting to contemplate how “Watchman” was transformed into “Mockingbird.” The problem lies in the fact that an unfinished draft is being sold as if it were a fleshed-out novel. If this was given away for academic study, it might have been better received.
Lee’s life was very simple, punctuated by a strong novel. I will remember her for her great work and the actions she did while alive, not the things done in her name.
Rest in peace Nelle Harper Lee.
