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Articles

The Philosophy of John Lennon

What is it like to be a Beatle? Gary Tillery argues that Lennon’s pronouncements, both cynical and idealistic, reveal a sincere and original thinker.

In the closing months of 1965, John Lennon was sinking into a personal despair completely unsuspected by the millions of Beatles fans who believed their image as lovable ‘mop-tops.’ Like E.A. Robinson’s Richard Cory, he was growing more alienated at the same time millions went to sleep envious of him. To his close friend Pete Shotton he confided: “The more I have, the more I see, and the more experience I get, the more confused I become as to who I am, and what the hell life is all about.

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