Abstract：John Lennon was one of the most legendary musicians of the 20th century. He came to fame in the 1960s—a decade of great social change. No other public figure summed up the youthful rebellion of that era quite so successfully.
Meanwhile, there was a famous cultural movement during this period—the Beat Generation. As the Beat Generation’s influence expended, their significance had already gone beyond their significance in field of literature. They had become the representative of those who revolt against traditional society and strive for freedom. Their rebellious spirit is fully reflected in their way of life and their literary works.
Generally speaking, most of the beats were born in the Depression. They spent their adolescence in wars, both hot and cold, and matured in the shadow of nuclear holocaust. It was in this kind of atmosphere that the beat generation emerged in America. They were disillusioned with the progress of science and western technology. They stood opposed to the dominant climate of corporate values, consumerism, and conformity, finding the weight of convention pushing and exhausting. They were "beat," "beaten" down, worn out by it.
Although John was born in the 1940s and grown at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean—Britain, he was deeply influenced by this Beat movement and can be defined as a typical beat artist. For many, he was a cherished symbol of their youth, but for fans young and old he was also an admirable idealist, whose work and campaigning for peace stirred consciences and promoted direct action world-wide. Based on the specific backdrop of the Beat Generation, the author made in-depth researches into John Lennon, hoping to extract the positive and diversified elements from the Beats which may guide or enlighten the youth at the present age.
Key Words: John Lennon, the Beat Generation, music, the Beatles
中文摘要：约翰·列侬是20世纪最富传奇性的音乐家之一。他成名于20世纪60年代——一个社会大变革的时代。列侬成功地为那个时代的年轻人的反叛做了个总结，在此方面没有任何其他公众人物能与他相比。
与此同时，这一时期正在发生一场著名的文化运动——“垮掉”运动。伴随着“垮掉一代”影响力的日益扩大，其意义早已跨越了文学的范畴。这群人俨然成为了反抗传统社会，奋力争取自由的代表人物。他们的生活方式和文学艺术作品充分展现了其离经叛道的精神。
普遍来说，绝大多数“垮掉的一代”是大萧条时期生人。他们于战火中度过青春年华，历经热战和冷战，然后在核灾难的阴影之下长大成人。就是在这样的历史语境下，垮掉的一代在美国大地逐渐兴起。他们不再对西方科学技术的进步怀抱希望，他们坚决抵制企业文化、消费主义、顺从的主流社会风气，认为约定俗成的事物习惯迫使人们一意孤行，并且压得人疲惫不堪。他们被这样的社会打垮，彻底打垮，耗尽最后一丝气力。
尽管列侬出生于40年代，成长于大洋彼岸的英国，他同样受到了“垮掉运动”的深刻影响，而且甚至可以被定义为一位垮掉派的艺术家典型。对许多人来说，列侬是他们青年时代热爱的偶像，对于各种年龄层次的列侬迷来说，他更是一位值得尊敬的理想主义者，其为和平的呼吁奔走唤醒了人们的正义之心，促使全球各地的人们实际行动起来。
因此，在结合“垮掉运动”这一特殊背景的基础上，本文作者对约翰·列侬进行了深入的了解研究，希望能够从“垮掉的一代”的身上提炼出积极而多元的元素，从而给当代的年轻人带来正确的引导和启示。
