
Harper Lee has died - lolptdr
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/arts/harper-lee-dies.html
======
haberman
I loved "To Kill a Mockingbird" so much when I read it as a kid. The moral of
the story seemed really obvious. In the last few years I came across this
article which blew my mind and changed my perspective about the book's meaning
a lot:

[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/10/the-
courthouse-...](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/10/the-courthouse-
ring)

~~~
etep
No one could so thoroughly eviscerate my favorite novel except Malcolm
Gladwell. I take his point.

His criticism imagines a better hero, one who would righteously proclaim
truth. But this is also unfair. Had A.F. done this, he would have lost his
stature and surely everything he held precious. This is impossible for most,
and it would be unrealistic to write the story in that way.

In my view, the work stands strong, as it has weathered many assaults, this
latest included. Other favorites of mine have toppled.

~~~
haberman
I don't actually take it as a critique of the novel. To me it makes the novel
far deeper, since it portrays a realistic and historically plausible Atticus
Finch, in both his virtues and his limitations. It makes the moral of the
story more nuanced.

And the critique of Atticus Finch I don't even take as some kind of heavy-
handed moral judgment. The article's byline isn't "Atticus Finch was a bad
person," it's "Atticus Finch and the limits of Southern liberalism." A person
trying to stand up for the right in this way can do some good (And Jim Folsom
did some good). But an accommodating, non-confrontational approach like
Atticus will have its limits.

I also don't feel that the article's conclusion implies that people should be
100% uncompromising in their principles all the time. Pragmatically speaking,
that's unlikely to maximize the amount of justice in the world.

~~~
Double_Cast
> _Understand what? That her father and the Sheriff have decided to obstruct
> justice in the name of saving their beloved neighbor the burden of angel-
> food cake?_

to which I reply

> _Pirates are evil? The Marines are righteous? These terms have always
> changed throughout the course of history! Kids who have never seen peace and
> kids who have never seen war have different values! Those who stand at the
> top determine what 's wrong and what's right! This very place is neutral
> ground! Justice will prevail, you say? But of course it will! Whoever wins
> this war becomes justice!_ [0]

By appealing to "justice", Malcolm Gladwell is making a deontological appeal.
But as a consequentialist, I don't find it very convincing. Additionally, the
critique reminds me of the Copenhagen Interpretation of Ethics: "Atticus did
good, but not optimally good. Therefore, he was worse than Hitler."

Furthermore, I disagree that Atticus's impact on society was limited by his
_approach_. Rather, his impact was inherently limited by the culture. I.e. I
suspect that a lot of people imagine "if _I_ had lived in the antebellum
south, I'd have been more vocal than MLK jr". But realistically, there's only
so much a single person can do to effect change. Almost by definition, the
status quo has inertia. So given the circumstances, the "hearts and minds"
approach may have very well been the most effective strategy. More than one
history teacher has told me that we have to interpret people's behavior within
the context of their own time period. This entails that it's misleading to
judge the behavior of people from other cultures by modern standards.

(but thanks for sharing the article. It changed the way I think about "to kill
a mockingbird" also.)

[0]
[http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Justice](http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Justice)

~~~
Donwangugi
One Piece and Doflamingo FTW.

------
616c
Nothing blew my mind in the last few years like discovering how close Harper
Lee and Truman Capote were, as they were both authors I idolized at different
stages of my life.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/books/harper-lee-and-
truma...](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/books/harper-lee-and-truman-
capote-a-collaboration-in-mischief.html)

And that Dill was partially based on her childhod friendship with Capote.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Early_life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Early_life)

This seems to be well established now in pop culture and art, but I was
completely unaware when I first heard.

The fact the world has such inspired people, despite their stressful
surroundings was a blessing to us all in the form of great art.

Goodbye, Harper.

~~~
guylepage3
Oh wow. I had no idea they were friends. Thank you for posting this article.

~~~
morley
Harper Lee (played by the great Catherine Keener) is a major supporting
character in the film Capote.

------
rm_-rf_slash
They say an artist is never appreciated until they die, but I believe Harper
Lee was one of the most rightfully appreciated authors of our time. Most of us
have read To Kill a Mockingbird, at least, and for those of us who did, it was
a powerful indictment of America's eternal and original sin of race and
exploitation. A book or a death changes little in a broad cultural context,
but it serves to remind us how we can and should all be better to each other.
Rest in peace.

------
ldd
“Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin
anyway and see it through no matter what.”

That is one of my favorite quotes of all times, specifically taking into
account the setting of the book.

~~~
terryterrywhite
What does it mean to be 'licked'?

~~~
acangiano
To be defeated. Example, "They Can't Lick Our Dick" (Nixon campaign slogan).

~~~
RangerScience
Seriously?

~~~
ktRolster
Then there was this one:

[http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/357927/12493914/130695...](http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/357927/12493914/1306952455567/Don't+change+Dicks+in+the+midst+of+a+screw.jpg?token=v6FdWHv7W42U%2Fe7DcApWy5Dgcv4%3D)

~~~
krylon
That ... is easily the most unsual political ad I have seen in my life. To put
it mildly. ;-)

I am tempted to think it was satire? I mean, this would not have been very
appealing to Nixon's target audience, would it?

~~~
labster
As a former satirist, I am 99% sure that is satire. Certainly a majority like
that wouldn't be silent for long! This looks exactly like the kind of stuff I
was putting up around my college for George W. Bush.

Also, this sign has a great rhyme scheme; I almost feel like it needs "Burma
Shave" at the bottom.

~~~
krylon
> Certainly a majority like that wouldn't be silent for long!

Now I have an image stuck in my head of a crowd chanting the slogan on that
poster... Please, make it stop! ;-)

------
newscracker
> Until last year, Lee had been something of a one-book literary wonder. To
> Kill a Mockingbird, her 1961 epic narrative about small-town lawyer Atticus
> Finch’s battle to save the life of a black resident threatened by a racist
> mob, sold more than 40 million copies around the world and earned her a
> Pulitzer prize.

That book by the "one-book literary wonder" was unforgettable for many things,
including the fact that it was one of the first books I read twice. I'd say
that that one work that stood strong for decades across generations should
probably not be used to diminish the author using terms like "one-book
wonder".

------
libeclipse
"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin
to kill a mockingbird."

This is sad news indeed.

------
bfrancom01
I couldn't stand most of the books I had to read in high school, especially To
Kill a Mockingbird. Others included The Great Gatsby, & Lord of the Flies. All
awful books IMO, & still dreadfully awful. I can't believe American culture
thought (still thinks?) those books were good. Luckily I read books that I
liked on the side to make up for it.

~~~
douche
I have to agree. I wonder if part of the general illiteracy is a reaction to
the dreck that we are forced to read in school.

At least in high school English classes you get to read some legitimate
literature. In middle school, I remember being subjected to an unending string
of aggressively mediocre young-adult historical fiction and science fiction
that featured teen-aged girls as protagonists by my all-female English
teachers. Hard to summon much enthusiasm for that kind of thing when Arthur
Clarke, Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Asimov, Ben Bova, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum,
Ken Follett, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Conan Doyle, Tolkien, Robert Jordan and
George RR Martin beckon.

~~~
rayiner
Tolkien is dreck. There I said it. It took my over a year to read _Fellowship
of the Ring_ because of how indescribably boring it is.

~~~
pen2l
Can you suggest some readings, stuff you found especially enjoyable?

(I ask because you're my favorite writer on HN, and am curious as to what
things influenced you)

~~~
rayiner
Appreciate the compliment! My favorite books are Candide, The Great Gatsby,
and My Antonia. Dracula and Frankenstein are really good too.

~~~
pen2l
Whose translation of Candide do you suggest?

Read the Great Gatsby last year, was shocked at how much I liked it. Will
definitely give My Antonia a read.

------
orbitingpluto
It is some small comfort that her legacy cannot be further tarnished under the
fiction of her consent.

------
seeing
Harper Lee's words: _all I want to be is the Jane Austen of South Alabama._

------
grecy
To Kill A Mockingbird is still one of my all time favorite books and movies.
Sad news.

Has anyone read the newly released book? Thoughts?

~~~
PaulRobinson
If you want to understand the process she went through to get to Mockingbird,
read Watchman.

She wrote it whilst being urged on by several friends and when she took it to
her agent was told that she had some good ideas, but it was stronger in some
parts than others. She should focus entirely on Scout's youth, and to deal
with Atticus' battle with racial tensions in that town.

She went away, produced Mockingbird, the rest is history. You can see the
process right there in Watchman.

If you try and read them as a pair, you will get annoyed: anecdotes repeated
in both have key facts changed that change their meaning and the characters
involved in them.

It's not as polished, tuned or as well paced as Mockingbird. It's a piece of
work that pays testament to a talented writer finding her voice, but hasn't
quite found it yet.

And for that, it's fine. But don't read it if you aren't interested in the
writing process and just want a good story: just re-read Mockingbird instead.

------
padobson
Atticus Finch is maybe the greatest character in American literature.

His courage in standing against racial injustice is notable, but the true
depth of the character comes from his quiet strength and his unabashed
dedication to his family and his fellow man.

He's always there for his children, tucking them in at night and encouraging
them to be good to each other and their neighbors. He's always ready to impart
wisdom and morality upon them in the most gentle manner.

But still there's that quiet strength, as in the scene when he shoots the
rabid dog. Watching the scene through Scout's eyes, a powerful figure comes
alive in the person of Atticus for the first time - showing us that a strong
man is prepared to stand up both against moral and physical oppression.

As role models go, you could do a lot worse than Atticus Finch.

~~~
hn9780470248775
I take it you haven't read "Go Set a Watchman"...

~~~
qq66
Especially given the extremely shady way in which "Go Set a Watchman" was
released, possibly against Harper Lee's desires, it would be fair to say that
"Atticus Finch" should refer to the character in "To Kill a Mockingbird."

~~~
wetmore
For sure. Having read a fair amount about the circumstances surrounding the
release of Go Set a Watchman, it's sad to see that the widespread opinion is
that it should be canon.

------
fbernier
Sad news, but on a totally unrelated note: Why is the date in the URL set to
tomorrow?

~~~
sb057
I'm assuming its to be published in the next edition of the NYT, which would
be the 20th.

~~~
CodeWithCoffee
A quick check of the stories on the front page suggests this is the case;
editorial content and news covering yesterday's events is all /19 (today)
whereas today's news and online content (for tomorrow's paper) is all /20
(tomorrow).

------
CaiGengYang
Great book by a legendary author ---- I still remember I had to read the book
during my secondary school days for my literature classes and we were tested
on the material in the book during our finals. I really enjoyed the book (very
poignant ending) and I would read the book multiple again and again during my
free time.

A timeless storybook about bravery and courage in the face of blatant racism
and discrimination. As a society, we should work towards ending racism and
discrimination in all spheres and this book will surely play a part towards
this goal ...

------
jamesDGreg
"Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin
to kill a mockingbird."

------
guylepage3
Harper Lee was one of my favorite authors when I was a child. A true legend.

------
mignev
sad news :(

------
huntleydavis
While this is tragic news, this really doesn't feel at all correlated to
HackerNews.

~~~
brudgers
If people find the submission intellectually gratifying then it conforms to
the spirit of Hacker News submission guidelines. Given the impact of Harper
Lee's writing on US culture, it is not surprising if many people do.

~~~
huntleydavis
I suppose the free form nature of HackerNews and the wide sprawling community
make a lot of topics fair game. I recant my sentiment.

~~~
brudgers
I've come to think that the breadth of HackerNews is what makes HN "The HN for
X" for most all X's.

------
ck2
Author ONLY of "to kill a mockingbird" (seriously, she only ever wrote one
book, weirdness)

~~~
chippy
She wrote other things as well as her latest book

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Works](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Works)

