Harper Lee’s novel Go Set a Watchman is set to be released tomorrow. Apparently, early reviews have indicated that Atticus Finch – a noble lawyer and main character in Lee’s beloved classic To Kill a Mockingbird – is a racist. This seems incongruous with Lee’s earlier work, as Finch – a white lawyer – bravely represents a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Or, perhaps not. While a regrettable character flaw, such a trait – even in someone as admirable as Finch – would not be unusual in the mid-2oth century in segregated Alabama. Perhaps Finch put his personal prejudices aside to serve a higher principle that all attorneys share – that every person deserves counsel who will zealously advocate the client’s case.
Unfortunately, Finch’s flaws may not end there. Jonathan Ringel of The Daily Report has pointed out something that we had never quite considered before.
Copyright: Unknown Cover Artist/J.B. Lippincott & Co.