Mark David Chapman and The Cather in the Rye - 847 Words

On December 8, 1980, John Lennon of the Beatles was shot and killed outside of his apartment complex in New York City. The man who shot Lennon, Mark David Chapman, was found just a few feet away from Lennon’s body, reading The Catcher in the Rye. Unbecomingly, Chapman used the book as his excuse for murdering Lennon. In court, Chapman used the novel as his statement and even signed his copy of the novel as â€Å"Holden Caulfield,† the novel’s protagonist, believing himself to actually be Caulfield. Because of this, John Lennon and the book will be eternally connected. However, Lennon’s death is not the only parallel to be drawn between Holden Caulfield and Lennon; the similarities between Holden and Lennon are almost uncanny. Their views on religion are virtually identical; and if they were to be switched, one would be unable to distinguish one from the other. Among other things, the two both suffered from very significant losses in their families, Lennon having his mother die and Caulfield, his younger brother. Both of these events seriously shaped their views on life and their behaviors. Lastly, they both dealt with rejection throughout their lives; Holden feels rejected by just about every person he meets and John Lennon’s father left him when he was only five years old, which later proves to be an emotionally crippling event in his life. In all, Holden and Lennon share a mutual fate in their similarities and will be forever connected by the horrendous act against Lennon in