Inherent flaws that exist in an individual should not discredit his entire humanity, rather, the flaws should make him seem more human. In everyone’s life, there is a hero that he or she looks up to and aspires to be; this hero is so infallible and ideal that there can be no room for faults. For some, a single fault can shatter that view of a perfect hero entirely, and further destroy the image they try to achieve. In the novel Go Set a Watchman, set after the events of the widely acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee reveals the true nature of the story’s hero Atticus Finch. The understanding that ideals and beliefs between people could drastically differ over time can allow one to emphasize with other people. Learning to emphasize does
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For Scout, seeing her father, her hero, turn out to be a racist and hate-filled individual made her sick to the bone. She could not believe that “The one human being she had ever fully and wholeheartedly trusted had failed her; the only man she had ever known…had betrayed her, publicly, grossly, and shamelessly” (Lee 113). Once betrayed, Scout can never fully salvage her relationship with Atticus, she must reach a new level of acceptance in order to move on. Frederick Douglass was a slave who, through many tragic events in his life, learned how hopeless of a situation he was in. Seeing his fellow slaves tortured and abused has made Douglass lose most of his faith in humanity, which was only recovered years later writing about these events (Anthology 397-403). In both situations, individuals had to lose their innocence and adapt in multiple ways in order to regain a level of …show more content…
This could be largely attributed to the teachings of Atticus when she was younger as he encourage her to develop her own views of society. Scout took these words with her when she went to live across the country and has acted as moral guide for her. When she has finally come to accept Atticus’s true beliefs, she thinks: “I guess it’s like an airplane: they’re the drag and we’re the thrust, together we make things fly. Too much of us and we’re nose-heavy, too much of them and we’re tail heavy—it’s a matter of balance. I can’t beat him, and I can’t join him—” (Lee 277). Scout chooses to coexist with her father’s views and will not try and go against his view wither her own. Walt Whitman was an American poet whose poetry was famous for describing the ever-changing landscape of American culture and society. Whitman views America through the personas of different people in his famous collection of poems Song of Myself (Anthology 314-317). Scout has come to realize her own views and the views of others and is now reflecting on this difference in her mind. This realization of moral differences between people has allowed Scout to reach a balance with her father. Go Set a Watchman may not be liked by readers as it destroys what readers thought of Atticus Finch from reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee uses the narrative to deconstruct the meaning
For Scout, seeing her father, her hero, turn out to be a racist and hate-filled individual made her sick to the bone. She could not believe that “The one human being she had ever fully and wholeheartedly trusted had failed her; the only man she had ever known…had betrayed her, publicly, grossly, and shamelessly” (Lee 113). Once betrayed, Scout can never fully salvage her relationship with Atticus, she must reach a new level of acceptance in order to move on. Frederick Douglass was a slave who, through many tragic events in his life, learned how hopeless of a situation he was in. Seeing his fellow slaves tortured and abused has made Douglass lose most of his faith in humanity, which was only recovered years later writing about these events (Anthology 397-403). In both situations, individuals had to lose their innocence and adapt in multiple ways in order to regain a level of …show more content…
This could be largely attributed to the teachings of Atticus when she was younger as he encourage her to develop her own views of society. Scout took these words with her when she went to live across the country and has acted as moral guide for her. When she has finally come to accept Atticus’s true beliefs, she thinks: “I guess it’s like an airplane: they’re the drag and we’re the thrust, together we make things fly. Too much of us and we’re nose-heavy, too much of them and we’re tail heavy—it’s a matter of balance. I can’t beat him, and I can’t join him—” (Lee 277). Scout chooses to coexist with her father’s views and will not try and go against his view wither her own. Walt Whitman was an American poet whose poetry was famous for describing the ever-changing landscape of American culture and society. Whitman views America through the personas of different people in his famous collection of poems Song of Myself (Anthology 314-317). Scout has come to realize her own views and the views of others and is now reflecting on this difference in her mind. This realization of moral differences between people has allowed Scout to reach a balance with her father. Go Set a Watchman may not be liked by readers as it destroys what readers thought of Atticus Finch from reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee uses the narrative to deconstruct the meaning