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Atticus Finch Changes

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Alterations and Developments in the Character of Atticus Finch

Harper Lee’s novel, Go Set a Watchman, is the sequel to her classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Go Set a Watchman (released in 2015), has received many critical reviews. Though there are many changes from Mockingbird to Watchman, perhaps one of the most drastic changes is the main character’s father, Atticus Finch. In Go Set a Watchman, the reader sees that Atticus is now a segregationist, and seems to be a completely different character from To Kill a Mockingbird. “Reeling from the Supreme Court 's recent ruling in Brown v. the Board of Education, Atticus reveals himself as a segregationist and a reactionary extremist. He 's a staunch proponent of states ' rights, a critic of …show more content…

In Go Set a Watchman, Atticus’s character is developed through descriptions of his character. “Integrity, humor, and patience were the three words for Atticus Finch. There was also a phrase for him: pick at random any citizen in Maycomb County and its environs, ask him what he thought of Atticus Finch, and the answer would most likely be, “I never had a better friend.” (Lee 114). In this quote, Jean Louise is describing what the town of Maycomb thinks of her father. “Jean Louise then discovers that her father, Atticus, her hero and as close to a perfectly honorable man as she can imagine-"Integrity, humor, and patience were the three words for Atticus Finch"-has joined one of the marginally respectable Citizens ' Councils, a kind of less covert version of the Klan” (Gopnik). Correspondingly, this affects other characters in the story, such as Jean Louise. Jean Louise realizes that her father is not the same man she once believed he was. This changes not only her view of her father, but the readers as well. Through other descriptions of Atticus, the reader learns how he has changed from the previous …show more content…

Harper Lee’s novel Go Set a Watchman is the sequel to the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch’s character is altered and developed using descriptions, actions, and interactions with other characters in the Harper Lee’s novel, Go Set a Watchman. Throughout the story, the reader can see how Atticus developed. The reader learns that he is now a segregationist, and he is apart of a citizens council. This is completely different from the Atticus the reader knew in To Kill a Mockingbird, as he appeared to have different views back then. “If one can imagine that the seeds of the older Atticus are there in the younger Atticus--and that 's possible--these are different characters and different books.” (Hoffert). Go Set a Watchman displays alterations and developments in the character Atticus Finch. Perhaps the novel would have turned out completely different, had Atticus’s character not been

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