| re: Aaron Sorkin had no respect for Harper Lee' why would he for Alan Jay Lerner and TH White? | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 01:21 pm EDT 04/02/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Aaron Sorkin had no respect for Harper Lee' why would he for Alan Jay Lerner and TH White? - Amiens 11:50 am EDT 04/02/23 | |
|
|
|
| The most glaring change was the character of Calpurnia, who became, in Sorkin's version, very sassy in her relationship with Atticus. And she spoke her mind, always. In 1933-35, when TKAM takes place (and all through the 60s and 70s at least) a black housekeeper who behaved as Sorkin's housekeeper does would have been fired, and become unemployable. Throughout the novel there are examples of Atticus' inherent racism - he talks of fully racist neighbors like Miss Dubose, and makes it clear that her racism does not keep them from being friends - he is also unconcerned about KKK activities in Maycomb County. He is clear that he is defending Tom Robinson because of injustice, not race. Atticus, in the novel, is much more evolved than most f his neighbors on race issues - but they are still a part of his everyday life and experience, and do not trouble him unduly. And Scout, our narrator , is a VERY reliable witness in the novel. At the trial of Tom Robinson, when Tom is being questioned by the Prosecutor, Dill starts sobbing. Jem takes him out of the courthouse and Scout follows. When asked why he was crying, Dill talks about how the prosecutor was talking to Tom Robinson. 'The wat the man called him 'boy' all the time, an sneered at him, an' looked around at the jury every time he answered." Scout replies ... "Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro." Not even Scout, in Harper Lee's novel, is spared the tinge of the racism that is in every part of life in Alabama in 1933-35. Even more than the movie, Mr Sorking wants Atticus and Scout et al to be outliers - saints in a tainted society. That wasn't Lee's point. Her point was much more about the real Alabama. Even the good people were racists. It was just part of the fabric of life. I know Alabama and many people there - one - a well known writer - came to see TKAMB on Broadway, and left at intermission crying in pain and anger at the whitewashing of Lee's novel by Mr Sorkin. Ms Lee's novel is beautiful hard, and complex. Mr Sokrin's play was like an episode of The West Wing. Nice enhlightened liberals up against horrible people. harper Lee had no interest in stories which are that reductive. If Mr Sorkin had been brave or selfless enough to understand Ms Lee's novel, he would have seen that portraying Atticus and Scout as Lee wrote them would have been much more powerful - reminding us that the systemic, endemic racism in our society is the real danger. But Mr Sorking was just looking for heroes and villains. | |
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: Aaron Sorkin had no respect for Harper Lee' why would he for Alan Jay Lerner and TH White? - Amiens 11:50 am EDT 04/02/23 |
| Next: | re: Aaron Sorkin had no respect for Harper Lee' why would he for Alan Jay Lerner and TH White? - Chazwaza 08:13 pm EDT 04/02/23 |
| Thread: |
|
Time to render: 0.013723 seconds.