 Later, he read a passage from the novel to address the court during his sentencing.Daniel Stashower speculated that Chapman had wanted Lennon's innocence to be preserved by death, inspired by Holden's wish to preserve children's innocence despite Holden's later realization that children should be left alone.After John Hinckley, Jr.'s assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981, police found "The Catcher in the Rye" in his hotel room.