UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

TAGUM-MABINI CAMPUS
APOKON, TAGUM CITY

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EL3114
Contemporary, Popular & Emergent Literature
A Critical Analysis on “Go Set a Watchman” by Harper
Lee
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Submitted by:
Deza Bea M. Cadigal
BSED-English 3SE
Submitted to:
Ms. Donna G. Magallanes
EL3114 Instructor
 A Critical Analysis on “Go Set a Watchman” by Harper Lee

Go Set a Watchman is a novel written by Harper Lee in 1960. Go Set a Watchman is

set in the 1950s and focuses on an adult Jean Louise Finch visiting Alabama from New York
City. In her homecoming, Jean Louise Finch faces a community rife with racial tension and a
father who no longer seems as perfect as she once believed him to be. In this analysis, a
Psychological approach is employed in unveiling the forces behind the characters of the
novel, Go Set a Watchman.

There are numerous key motivating factors of each and every character in the story
such as family traditions, societal expectations, a sense of duty, and more. One main
motivating factor that sets the story is the exploration of personal identity and morality of the
main character, Jean Louise Finch. Jean, who is now an adult, is in a state of exploring her
own identity, beliefs, and morality. She is torn between the values instilled in her by her
father, Atticus, and the changing societal norms that challenge those values. This is evident
when Jean, upon finding out the racial injustice happening in her community, was furious
and had an argument with her father, Atticus, who is a lawyer in town and her moral anchor
but did not take any action against the prevailing injustice. Jean, who was upset about the
injustice against black people, lashes out at her father whom she views as a moral and just
figure. Coming home in a blinding rage to pack her things and leave, her uncle, Jack, comes
over and slaps her. The slap shocks Jean thoroughly, and she snaps out of her rage. Jack
then tells her that the real root of her anger is that she has always viewed Atticus like some
god and relied on him as a model of right and wrong. Jack explains that Atticus is utterly
human.

“.. now you, Miss, born with your own conscience, somewhere along the line
fastened it like a barnacle onto your father’s. As you grew up, when you were
grown, totally unknown to yourself, you confused your father with God. You
never saw him as a man with a man’s heart, and a man’s failings-I’ll grant you
it may have been hard to see, he makes so few mistakes, but he makes ’em
like all of us.”
 Jack also explained another reason why Jean was furious.

“You were an emotional cripple, leaning on him, getting the answers from him,
assuming that your answers would always be his answers. When you
happened along and saw him doing something that seemed to you to be the
very antithesis of his conscience-your conscience-you literally could not stand
it. It made you physically ill. Life became hell on earth for you. You had to kill
yourself, or he had to kill you to get you functioning as a separate entity.”

Because Jean only ever relied on her father for everything such as deciding what is
right or wrong, having different views for the first time made her confused and angry. Jack
then explained that as Jean is her own person now, she must start learning how to lean on
her own moral compass. Realizing this, Jean sets out to apologize to her father, however,
the fight Jean and her father had leads her to find out what is right and wrong for her which
makes her father proud.

To conclude, each and every one of the characters in the story has their own unique
motivating factors behind their actions. These factors are like individual gears that turn the
story when put together. The psychological approach allows us to see the possible
underlying reasons or motivations behind each character's actions. Exploring these factors
enables us to enrich our understanding and sparks fresh perspectives on the actions
depicted by the characters, allowing us to understand how the complex motivating factors
affect or contribute to the overall development of this masterpiece.