Go Set A Watchman

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Go Set a Watchman presents a different Atticus Finch than readers encountered in To Kill a Mockingbird. What was your reaction to discovering this version of a character many consider to be the moral center of American literature?

2. The title comes from Isaiah 21:6, which Mr. Stone reads in church: “Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” What does this biblical metaphor reveal about Jean Louise’s journey and the novel’s exploration of conscience?

3. What surprised you most about Jean Louise’s development from the young Scout we knew in To Kill a Mockingbird to the jaded woman in this novel?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. When have you experienced a profound disillusionment similar to Jean Louise’s discovery about her father’s participation in the citizens’ council?

2. Jean Louise repeatedly bumps her head getting into the car, symbolizing her difficulty adjusting to Maycomb. Where do you feel similarly out of place in a community important to your identity?

3. Uncle Jack tells Jean Louise that she is the true bigot because she refuses to consider opposing viewpoints. Describe a time when you recognized your own closed-mindedness about a deeply held belief.

4. In what ways have your own blind spots about social issues been revealed to you?

5. Jean Louise built her entire moral identity around what she perceived to be her father’s beliefs, only to discover she misunderstood him. Which aspects of this journey toward independent identity resonated most with your own experience?

6. Jean Louise feels betrayed when Calpurnia treats her with distant “company manners” rather than as family. What insights does this painful scene give you about the complexities of cross-racial relationships?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel is set during the aftermath of the US Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, when the South was resisting desegregation. What parallels do you see between this historical moment and current social justice movements?

2. Atticus claims African Americans are “as a people” like infants who aren’t ready for full civil rights (247). What does this paternalistic perspective reveal about the limitations of even supposedly progressive white thinking during this era?

3. Do you find Uncle Jack’s explanation that the South’s resistance to integration is about preserving identity rather than racism itself persuasive or an evasion of responsibility?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The narrative shifts between perspectives, sometimes seeming omniscient and other times more intimate. What effect does this create for readers experiencing Jean Louise’s crisis?

2. Jean Louise retreats to her childhood home, now an ice cream shop, when confronted with uncomfortable realities. In what ways does the novel use her physical retreats to nostalgia as both character development and thematic exploration?

3. What is the significance of blindness throughout the novel? This image recurs often, from Jean Louise being “born color blind” to her realization that she is “stone blind” (122, 182). What symbolic meaning does this limitation have?

4. Which ethical philosophy in the novel most aligns with your own moral reasoning?

5. What role do physical spaces like Finch’s Landing play in representing Jean Louise’s internal journey?

6. Critics debate whether Go Set a Watchman should be read as an early draft of To Kill a Mockingbird rather than a sequel, particularly given the shared characters and some similar scenes. What textual evidence supports either interpretation?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine Jean Louise’s life five years after the novel’s conclusion.

2. If you were to write a scene showing a meaningful reconciliation between Jean Louise and Calpurnia after their painful interaction, what elements would you include?

3. What additional symbol might effectively represent Jean Louise’s journey toward self-actualization?

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