Marilyn Monroe

1552 Words4 Pages

She has one of the most recognized faces in the world. Over forty years after her death, Marilyn Monroe‘s life and death is still in question. Her trademark platinum hair and beauty mark, her famous skirt-blowing scene, which eventually she became ashamed of because no one could see the woman who was intellectual had feelings and worked hard behind the glitter, the gold and the smiles. Everyone knew this Marilyn Monroe, but did anybody know Norma Jeane Baker? Marilyn Monroe was a Hollywood icon, maybe even a legend, but who was this luminous woman, and was the happy woman that everyone knew capable of killing herself?

On June 1, 1926 a woman named Gladys Monroe Baker had a little girl named Norma Jeane. Gladys’ mental instability led to Norma Jeane being in and out of several foster homes where she was mentally, sexually and physically abused. Finally she moved in with her mothers friend Grace Goddard who was the one person who truly cared for and inspired Norma in her young life. Grace told Norma how beautiful she was and that someday she would be an actress. But when Norma was only sixteen Grace was married and had to move to the East Coast but could not afford to take Norma with her. So then Norma had to choose to go back to the orphanage and foster homes or marry James Dougherty her twenty one year old boyfriend who she’d been dating for only six months.

The marriage was doomed right from the start because James was sent to the South Pacific with the merchant marines and Marilyn aspired to be more the Mrs. Norma Jeane Dougherty. She had said “ I have too many fantasies to be a housewife.... I guess I am a fantasy.” After James was sent away Norma Jeane went to contribute to the war effort and caught David Coroner, a phot...

... middle of paper ...

...Monroe was dead, at the age of thirty-six. Her light had shone brightly for many years, and it was extinguished suddenly. The world, in shock, began a search for answers that continues to this day. Answers that will never be found. And so the world spins on without her. She was just a woman who had a compassion for all living things, desired to be loved and worked to fulfill her dream and when it was fulfilled only set higher goals. It’s hard to see these things in the shining Hollywood star we know as Marilyn Monroe, but from this we must remember to look underneath the glamour, the glitter, the gold and the smiles and see the person they truly are.

http://www.everlasting-star.net/biography.php

http://www.marilyncollector.com/legend/biography.html

http://louisville.edu/~lagord01/moviepaper.html

http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/marilyn_monroe.htm

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