48 pages • 1 hour read
Harper LeeGo Set A Watchman
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Jean Louise ultimately decides that she and Hank Clinton have no future. Is she right to make this decision? Why or why not?
Jean Louise calls both Hank and Atticus cowards for quietly condoning the citizens’ council. Do you agree or disagree with her? Why?
Do you think Calpurnia would agree with Jean Louise about Atticus and Hank? Why or why not?
Is this story a coming-of-age story or a hero’s journey? Why? Which elements define the story most?
Is this book about race relations, philosophy, politics, or personal development? Why?
Jean Louise argues that destroying hope by controlling the blessings of life kills the soul and is as bad as killing people. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Jean Louise reveals her own racial bias, saying, “We’ve agreed that they’re backward, that they’re illiterate, that they’re dirty and comical and shiftless and no good, they’re infants and they’re stupid, some of them” (251). Does this view disqualify her from criticizing her father’s racism? Why or why not?
Which of the characters seems the most/least redeemable? Why?
The characters all have different ethical philosophies. Which do you most agree with? Why?
This book has received mixed responses from critics—some claim it is revolutionary in its honesty in addressing the complexity of racism within a family, while others maintain that it is only a poorer version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Which view do you support? Why?
