Atticus Finch is now racist.
That seems to be the common thread in reviews of Harper Lee's new novel, "Go Set a Watchman," which was available to the public Tuesday.
"The headline that Atticus Finch is a racist, someone who's opposed to black lawyers from the NAACP or from any black participation in public spaces, alarmed many a reader," Daniel D'Addario wrote for Time.
Jeffrey Weiss of the Dallas Morning News, however, says it's not that simple: " 'Watchman' means there are now three similar but different versions (of Atticus Finch), including the ones in the 'Mockingbird' book and movie. They share the same name and some character traits. But important details are not the same."
That won't matter to many readers, critics say.
"Sentimental types will be alarmed to see Atticus Finch, perhaps the most adored father figure in American literature, cast in an unflattering light ... ," Tray Butler wrote for the AJC.
As Julia Keller wrote for the Chicago Tribune: "You might be surprised at some of the opinions voiced by Atticus, who, down through the years of 'To Kill a Mockingbird's' tremendous popularity, has become a Lincolnesque folk-hero representing integrity and rectitude."
"In 'Mockingbird,' " Michiko Kakutani wrote for the New York Times, "Atticus was a role model for his children, Scout and Jem — their North Star, their hero, the most potent moral force in their lives.
"In 'Watchman,' he becomes the source of grievous pain and disillusionment for the 26-year-old Scout (or Jean Louise, as she’s now known)."
Lee writes in the book: "The one human being she had ever fully and wholeheartedly trusted had failed her, the only man she had ever known to whom she could point and say with expert knowledge, ‘He is a gentleman, in his heart he is a gentlemen,’ had betrayed her, publicly, grossly, and shamelessly.”
That sense of betrayel is shared by at least one person, who will not read "Watchman."
"Lee may have been presenting him as a man struggling to make sense of his time, but in releasing her first version of Atticus the man, her publishers and literary executors calculatedly are tearing down a character who has inspired and moved millions, who embodies and personifies the better angels of our nature," wrote Terry Barnes for the ABC.
He added, "There is only one Atticus: we don't need two."
Visit the links below for more of our coverage of "Go Set a Watchman" and Harper Lee:
'Watchman' to bring more dollars to 'Mockingbird' town
Whatever happened to the 'reclusive' Harper Lee?
A visit to Monroeville, Harper Lee's hometown
Click here to brush up on your knowledge of 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'
Take our quiz to see how well you know 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'
Click here to check out our gallery of Harper Lee through the years.
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