Analysis Of Go Set A Watchman

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“For thus has the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he sees” comes from the book of the Prophet Isaiah and is said to be the inspiration behind Harper Lee’s title of the recently published manuscript Go Set a Watchman. According to Wayne Flynt, Harper Lee’s long-time friend and companion, the watchman refers to the person who is assigned the responsibility as the town’s “moral compass” (Garrison). Now Harper Lee’s lawyer and dear friend, Tonja Carter, is being questioned on behalf of her moral compass because she decided to publish a manuscript found over fifty-years later with alleged consent from Harper Lee. Harper Lee is the author of To Kill a Mockingbird which is one of the most “definitive books of the American …show more content…

From the facts at hand, Go Set a Watchman is an early manuscript of what would eventually become To Kill a Mockingbird. From an author’s point of view, Go Set a Watchmen is merely the first draft of what would become a highly successful book and nothing more. It seems rare that as an attorney and representative that Carter would not know anything about the manuscript of the book beforehand. Harper Lee’s privacy is well known and she even stated herself in a public letter that “as long as [she is] alive any book purporting to be with [her] cooperation is a falsehood. (Charles)” It seems unlikely that a woman so strongly willed and extremely private would decide one day to publish a manuscript of an already completed and successful book. She swore she would not offer her cooperation in aby book as long she shall live. While it is not clear if she was referring to her own writing or biographical books, the public statement further exemplifies her strong will and

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