Harper Lee: When the Mocking Bird met the Watchman

Among the world’s most celebrated writers, Nelle Harper Lee is known for the masterpiece she had come up with - “To Kill a Mocking Bird”. After a gap of more than 40 years, another gem rolled out from her backyard - “Go Set a Watchman”.

The 89-year-old author, however, earlier said that she would never write a novel again. But she could not stick to the word ‘never’ for longer than about five- and-half-decade since her last work was published.

While “To Kill a Mocking Bird” revolved around Atticus Finch, the narrator’s father; and deals in rape and racism which used to prevail in the American society; “Go Set a Watchman” deals with the Finch family — Lawyer Atticus, his daughter Scout and his son Jem and their maid Calpurnia. All these characters were introduced for the first time in Lee’s debut novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird”. It was released in 1960.

In the era of pre and post-launch campaigns, “Go Set a Watchman” has been projected as a draft of “To Kill a Mocking Bird”.

The 1960 novel took the world of literature by storm as it turned out to be one of the most touching attempts made in the history of literature to tell stories of racism and rapes in America, crossing shores to reach countries where the English literature was taught in colleges.

The novel lived on, leaving behind the identity of its writer and grew into larger than life kind of image, where the creation had devoured its creator. One could talk about the novel for which the author won Pulitzer Prize without referring to Lee.

Lee continued to live in some quaint corner of the world. Not even paying attention to what the world thought about her. Is it right to call her ‘one book wonder’? This is the most derogatory statement people thrust upon someone who couldn’t say whether success was planned, or fluke. Much like an actor, whose first film worked for various reasons.

No, Lee would not suffer because the world hardly missed her after she came up with her prize winning novel. Her work has stood the test of time. It was enough to be savoured for lifetime.

Lee earlier said in an interview that she would never write again. She lived by that, almost for five decades. She has now come up with her second novel “‘Go Set a Watchman”, which has Atticus Finch, who ruled charts of being a hero for the cause of racism. Better to say a wanton hero, who didn’t stretch muscles to put the world in order. He only dealt with it in a right way.

“Watchman” carries a despondent look at the shackles of convention and conformity to prevailing norms. It carries the freshness, and a risk of being raw, sometimes making it almost unrealistic to believe the character that came back to life for the second time.

When it comes to describing Maycomb, Alabamian history and local folklore, both seem like Siamese twins, overlapping reflexes of each other. It is also being said that “Go Set a Watchman” would not receive good response as much as “To Kill a Mocking Bird” had received.

Is this something that worries Lee? If one knows her well, these views won’t rustle her feathers at all. At the age of 89, the second book can only raise her stature in the eyes of critics and readers, much less than talking about how she dealt with the plot and other things.

Whether racism has made a comeback or, has emerged from its closet that kept it simmering hot; Lee’s second book is more like a testimony of time. She is speaking at a time when the world has almost stopped introspection. The book might miss the chance of being literally superior, but it would be a fitting reply to the society that keeps sweeping issues such as racism under the carpet of human perseverance and autonomy.

(Image: mirror.co.uk)