John Lennon Contradictions

John Lennon was a bundle of contradictions. Though he was known as a peace activist, he also was also infamously known for some of his vices such as domestic violence towards his first wife. John Lennon was an English singer, songwriter, and peace activist who also happened to be part of one of the most influential and celebrated bands of the 1960s, the Beatles. One main reason I chose Lennon was primarily because of the fact that he defined the Hippie movement. The Hippie movement was one of the most influential subcultures of American history, and has introduced a sense of liberalism into America, which rejected most of the conservative ideals from the 1940s and 1950s. However, John Lennon also had a troubled psyche that lasted well into his twenties primarily due to the emotional turmoil in his childhood which resulted from a dysfunctional family. He also grew up in a household which consisted of five strong, intelligent women. This feminist household proved to be a great contrast when compared to the traditional family of the 1950s, which consisted of the father or husband being a breadwinner and the wife being relegated to monotonous domestic duties.

Lennon, born in 1940, happened to be a child of the 1950s, a decade highlighted for its conformist culture and conservative traditions such as making males the breadwinners of the family, and relegating females to perform monotonous activities as a housewife. Male children would be prepared for the harsh realities of the real world, while female children would be forced to prepare for domestic duties. In fact, one norm of the society during those days, was that men who came of age, were immediately forced to marry young girls under the age of twenty. Though Lennon did not exactly rebel against those norms, he still had a different outlook on the society, primarily due to his somewhat modern