Posted on 07/14/2015 11:25:50 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In American letters and mythology, there are few characters as noble as Atticus Finch. The gentleman, lawyer, and single father from Harper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird has been the very model of masculine decency for decades. Whether through the dulcet delivery of the classic novel or the buttoned-up dignity of Gregory Pecks movie portrayal, Atticus has been loved as few figures of fiction have.
As reviews trickle out for Lees Go Set a Watchman, written before, but taking place after, her masterpiece, one bit of news has dominated: Atticus Finch is a racist. Had he been a historical figure, we would say Atticus Finch was a racist. But as a fictional character, he is a racist, and it is up to us to decide what that means.
The Wall Street Journal review of Lees new book suggests many people will feel cheated by the revelation of Atticuss racist attitudes. Perhaps this is true. But do we have any reason to feel cheated or betrayed? Did the Atticus Finch of To Kill A Mockingbird lead us to be believe that he saw the races as equal? In fact, there is nothing in the twentieth centurys seminal novel on race from the white perspective to lead us to any such belief.
In the 1930s, Everyone Was Racist
Atticus Finch was an adult, white male in the 1930s deep South. For him to have believed that blacks and whites were equals would have flown not only in the face of his upbringing but in the face of science. Before the early twentieth century biologist Charles Davenport and his followers views of eugenics became labelled scientific racism, they were simply labelled science.
(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...
One thing people miss about Mr. Lincoln’s little war was that it was a response to rebellion. Lincoln deftly used the issue of slavery as a political tool to rally the votes for war - Had Lincoln lived, I seriously believe his reconciliation would have included deportation of the blacks. The two races, and I agree with Lincoln on this point, cannot share equally because one race has no investment in its founding or is particularly stirred by its principles.
I found Tonya Carters, Op Ed piece in the WSJ a Mea Culpa that lacked a lot of truth.
Yeah, I liked him in the guns of navarone.
Too bad, another pinko,commie,fag.
Harper Lee should be condemned and Gregory Peck dug up!.....
You are aware that the first two quotes are not in context, the third quote was from Jefferson and that Lincoln only repeated it, and the fourth quote is a complete fabrication and Lincoln never said it?
Prove it.
That particular conspiracy theory has been proven wrong. There is at least one letter from Capote to an old Monroeville neighbor mentioning Lee was writing a book, and there is a great deal of correspondence between Lee and her editor at Lippencott discussing the book and the plot.
Which makes him an even greater example of a human being who puts the principles of law above his personal feelings exactly the opposite of today's self-righteous progressives.
Which?
Um, read the linked article and find out.
We the People sure proved Abe wrong, didn’t we, President Obama?
Also, Lee makes a point to include Lula in the black church. She is subtly pointing out that racism is a two way street. And let's not forget Aunt Alexandra's missionary tea party where the women were the bigots.
Finally, if you notice the only characters (except Scout in the beginning) that use the “n word” are the most ignorant characters in the book. Lee is making a point about ignorance, not about geographical location.
RE: TKAM was actually written by Truman Capote, who took pity on his feeble-minded cousin and wanted to provide her with an income for life.
Do you have a reliable source for this?
A reasonable definition of a racist is anyone for whom race and racial differences are an obsession. That would leave Atticus off the hook and correctly define every Democrat from Obama down to your local precinct labor union enforcer. Some folks just can’t leave a healed wound and the scab covering it alone.
No, he doesn't. That story has been around forever and was proven false long ago.
That is hardly evidence, one way or the other.
“No, he doesn’t. That story has been around forever and was proven false long ago.”
Says you. Can you quote sources for your “proof”?
Fair enough. What evidence do you have that Capote wrote it?
There were the two items I quoted in my post and which were outlined in "Critical Insights: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee" by Don Nobel. In "Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee" Charles A Shields gives a lot of details of the working relationship between Lee and her editor at Lippencott, Tay Hohoff. The two worked together on the editing and corrections of the book, something that would have been impossible if Capote was the ghost writer, and developed a friendship that lasted till Hohoff died. Finally there is the fact that the style of writing of "To Kill A Mockingbird" is so different from anything Capote wrote, as legions of English majors have determined.
Now, whaddya got to show Lee didn't write it?
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