This Watchman Announces What She Sees

Like most people I was curious when the publication of “Go Set a Watchman” by Harper Lee was announced. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the book or Atticus Finch. I saw the movie in Law, Justice and You class in 7^th grade (the same classroom where a certain classmate jumped out the window and subsequently received detention). I read the book in college, and I never really gave it a second thought until recently.

I put on my Kindle wish list and awaited the release date when it would magically appear on my Kindle app.

But then the reviews started, and they weren’t good.

As the publication date approached I questioned whether or not it was worth reading. In the end, I decided to form my own opinion and read it. One of the good things about having a bout of insomnia and waking up at 3 AM consistently that week was it gave me time to read.

What did I think? It’s OK…not horrible but not great. If you’re curious, I recommend giving it a try, strictly to form your own opinion, and not base your opinions on what myself or others think. To elaborate:

1.       You can tell this is Harper Lee’s first attempt at publication. The writing is rough in places, and I wonder what editorial vigor was performed on the manuscript.

2.       The pacing was a little slow in places, at some points I had to force myself to continue reading, as I sometimes got bogged down in detail that really didn’t lend itself to the story.

3.       I got in confused in the lengthy dialogue at times, I would have to go back and determine who said what, when, and who was saying what now.

4.       The back stories of Scout, Atticus and Hank were enjoyable to read and provide depth to the characters.

5.       It prompted me to look up the Bill of Rights and familiarize myself with the 10^th Amendment.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the controversy about Atticus being depicted as a racist in this book. In my opinion, this was a needed growth experience for Scout’s relationship with her father, and her views of where she comes from, and what the current events are at the time the book was written. I am being vague on purpose because I don’t want to give anything away, but I feel the whole “Atticus is a racist” outcry is a visceral reaction of some people who haven’t read between the lines and truly reflected on what is being said. When I finished, I truly wondered what Scout was going to do based on the conversation with Atticus, which is one of the things you do after finishing a book.

Granted, those that love the character of Atticus would be terribly disappointed in this revelation, but since I was not an Atticus lover I didn’t have that same reaction.

When I decided to write about this, I originally was going to base it off a story I read in Newsweek about how a bookstore in Michigan is offering refunds for those that did not like the book. However, I decided to focus on the context of the title, which is a verse from the Bible, Isaiah 21:6.

The context of that Bible verse is a vision of the fall of Babylon. The watchman is posted to look for and report “If he sees men coming on horseback, two by two, and men riding on donkeys and camels, he is to observe them carefully,” Isaiah 21:7.

The watchman (or sentry, as is written in my Good News Bible from confirmation class) reports that he has been at his post, and confirms that the men return, giving the news “Babylon has fallen! All the idols thy worshipped lie shattered on the ground.” Isaiah 21:9. (My emphasis added).

The chapter concludes with “My people Israel, you have been threshed like wheat, but now I have announced to you the good news that I have heard from the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel.” Isaiah 21: 10. (Again, my emphasis added).

Even though it is weak, I end this post with some questions for you:

Who is the Watchman?

Who is Babylon?

What are the idols?

What is the good news?

I encourage you to be your own watchman, and report what you see.