Ultimately she does find this possible, and though she “can’t beat them, and can’t join them,” she can continue to love them even while considering them to be morally wrong. Go Set a Watchman never clarifies precisely what Atticus thinks about racial equality, but clearly Atticus wants his daughter to begin thinking for herself about ethical issues. One of Jean Louise’s important conflicts, then, is to reconcile her own conscience with her love for her family and friends. Atticus has instilled strong principles in Jean Louise, strong enough to stand even when Atticus himself falls short of them. Jean Louise instinctively knows that Atticus, Hank, and the townspeople’s stance on integration is morally wrong. She then must try to find her own conscience and principles outside of Atticus, and “set a watchman” within herself. Jean Louise has always considered Atticus to be her moral compass, and the very definition of a “gentleman”-someone who is honorable, brave, polite, and kind-so when she becomes disillusioned with him she feels hopelessly lost. Jean Louise, along with her brother Jem, was raised by her father Atticus and their black housekeeper Calpurnia. The title of the book comes from a Bible verse read during a sermon at Jean Louise’s church: “ Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” Uncle Jack then links the concept of “the watchman” to one’s conscience: the idea of someone’s innate knowledge of right and wrong, separate from society’s influence. Go Set a Watchman Characters Next Jean Louise Finch Jean Louise Finch The novel’s main protagonist, an intelligent, stubborn, twenty-six-year-old woman from Maycomb, Alabama.
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