Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why publish Go Set a Watchman now?
- What issues addressed in Go Set a Watchman are still relevant today?
- How have the characters of Atticus and Jean Louise changed since To Kill a Mockingbird?
- Go Set a Watchman is set in a different time period than To Kill a Mockingbird. How has the South changed in those twenty years? How have Civil Rights changed? How does Harper Lee's depiction of her black characters differ, if at all, between those two books?
- One striking thing many readers noticed in Watchman is Atticus's racism. Are you shocked by this revelation? Does this change your perception of his character? Is this out of character for him, or does it feel like a natural progression from his character in Mockingbird?
- Are there continuity differences between Watchman and Mockingbird? Why do you think Lee changed the backstory in certain ways when writing To Kill a Mockingbird?
- Why is the book divided into parts as well as chapters? What happens in each part that moves the story along?
- Where do you see Jean Louise at the end of the book? Will she return to New York or stay in Maycomb? Will she champion Civil Rights? Do you see her becoming a feminist in the 1960s?
- How would you characterize Harper Lee's style? Does her voice sound the same as it does in To Kill a Mockingbird? If you think the books sound different, what accounts for the changes?