Group Read - Go Set a Watchman Chapters 14-16 Spoilers Welcome

[Ann]

Spoilers welcome chapters 14-16. The first to post please briefly summarize to guide the discussion.

[Ann]

Chapter 14
Uncle Jack Finch was not in attendance at the Citizen's Council meeting. His reaction to Jean Louise's disillusionment and anger is to tell a set of stories about the South, the Civil War and history repeating itself. This doesn't even begin to calm her down and in frustration Jean Louise is left to consider his words and come to her own conclusion of the meaning. Jack tells her to promise to come back and see him when she has questions. He is alarmed and calls someone as she leaves.

[Ann]

Part six Chapter 15
Jean Louise is in the ice cream shop musing about Jack's dancing around the truth with odd and seemingly disconnected statements. A sweet memory of her first dance at 14 adds to our glimpse into Hank's character and another reminder of the love shared by Scout and Jem and the wisdom of Atticus.

Chapter 16
Jean Louise back in the present breaks up with Hank in the drug store and they argue about the Citizen's council meeting all up and down the street. Hank is deeply hurt and attempts to explain his and Atticus' attendance but Jean Louise is hearing none or little of it. His defense of what he deals with is a glimpse into the class system that affects both white and black residents and how Hank views himself and Jean Louise's place in Maycomb.

[Ann]

We are so ready for Atticus' side of the story. The comparison of the way things were at fourteen when Jean Louise is attending the dance and at twenty-six when she returns to a changed Maycomb two years after the death of her brother adds to our understanding of her feelings at seeing how much things have changed and her feelings of disenfranchisement.

[BarryP]

I enjoyed Scout's exchange with the uncle, he seemed a decent sort, knew what was happening around him, and tried to put it in perspective.
The end of chapter 16 seemed the bigger potential bombshell though. What does Atticus really believe?

[Ann]

Barry: Yes! We have to know, finally. What does Atticus have to say to Jean Louise?!
I also really liked Uncle Jack, he seemed to more embody what we expected of Atticus.

[Dawn]

There was a lot of contemplation in these chapters. Regardless of Henry's point of view, the weight of how he feels he will be judged was not something I considered. Brings it full circle to Aunt Alexandria's rant in the beginning of the book...hmmm, I guess what Henry doesn't realize is that he doesn't even have to step out of line for people to lump him in a certain class, no matter how educated, how hard working he is now. There are some hard views to read in this book for sure. Dr. Finch's views on how far government will be involved in ruling our lives sure were ahead of his time and prophetic. Here's a chuckle...my college son (who hates to read) walked by and asked what I was reading and he said (and I'm embarrassed to admit that this is really one of the things that stuck with him) he remembers from TKAM how they said if you didn't look at a drink when you were carrying it, you wouldn't spill it. In the part I just read, Dr. Fitch just referred to that when comparing it to Scout looking at her feet when dancing. I would have never remembered it was in the first book...but wondering if its another instance where parts of this were used to write TKAM.

[Ann]

Interesting observation by your son, Dawn! It is funny how something like that will stick with us. It seems quite likely to have been a connection between the original book and the eventual spin-off into TKAM

[Carol/Bonadie]

I wish I had a hard copy of the book in front of me because I'm not sure if some of what I'm remembering takes place here or later. So I'll just respond to what is summarized above and say that Hank's description of the class discrimination in the white south was devastating, and the fact that Jean Louise didn't see it made me disappointed in her. I was initially sad at her decision to break up with Hank, and thought she might come around, but I'm thinking that despite their close ties built on having grown up together, they are very different people and need to find partners who support who they each are.

[Ann]

It was this segment, Carol. Sorry I left that out of the summary.
As Jean Louise broke up with Hank she also dismissed his point of view and explanation of the situation and his position (class discrimination) in the eyes of the town.
She was rather closed minded. He said she was "a Finch" and could get away with so much more than he could, and how he had to walk a tight rope to stay accepted.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I wish I had a hard copy of the book in front of me because I'm not sure if some of what I'm remembering takes place here or later. So I'll just respond to what is summarized above and say that Hank's description of the class discrimination in the white south was devastating, and the fact that Jean Louise didn't see it made me disappointed in her...."

[Shomeret]

Ann wrote: "It was this segment, Carol. Sorry I left that out of the summary.
As Jean Louise broke up with Hank she also dismissed his point of view and explanation of the situation and his position (class di..."

The social snobs in town wouldn't like Jean Louise to marry Hank because of his origins, but they would accept it as Atticus' way of keeping his daughter at home and in the fold.

[Ann]

Shomeret wrote: "The social snobs in town wouldn't like Jean Louise to marry Hank because of his origins, but they would accept it as Atticus' way of keeping his daughter at home and in the fold. .."

I would not like the social snobs at all.