Among the large array of sex symbols that our country has been introduced to, Marilyn Monroe has remained as the most prominent provocative figure of the twentieth century. Born Norma Jean, the aspiring movie star, singer and actress lead an evasive life, one which author Fred Lawrence Guiles demystifies in his biography Legend: The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe. The author takes his audience through the struggles and successes that Monroe faced, beginning with her early years and up until her final years filled with havoc, and ultimately death. Guiles especially depicts Marilyn’s dependence on others, as well as her inability to be alone throughout her life and as she reaches the height of her fame during the 1950’s and 60’s. Although flawed, this portrayal offers insight into the life of a very troubled yet unique woman.
Fred Lawrence Guiles elaborately illustrates Marilyn’s feelings of worthlessness, dependence on others as well as thirst for love throughout the biography. It’s possible that this was some sort of innate characteristic that Marilyn was born into. After all, her grandmother and mother seemed to be of a similar nature. Della Monroe, the grandmother of Marilyn, was hit hard by the Great Depression and when she found herself in penury, she began to live off of small remittances from family in California. Here begins the Monroe history of relying on others for support as well as comfort. Marilyn’s mother Gladys was to become just as unstable as her parents. After Gladys’ husband Martin Edward Mortensen left her while still pregnant, Della Monroe suggested that Gladys should have the neighbors across the street, known as the Bolenders, to board Norma when she was to be born. Again, an instance of the Monroe famil...
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...ool, her age during certain major occurrences in her life was unclear. For instance, it was difficult for me to understand what her life might have really been like when she lived in the orphanage. Was she around 5 years old? An age where she wasn’t fully comprehensive of what her situation may have been, or was she 9 years of age, and fully aware of her environment? Also, towards the beginning of the novel, Guiles explains Norma as a girl who “was not naturally pretty.” I considered this a quite outlandish way to describe a woman known for her beauty and grandeur. It also caused me to envision Marilyn in a different way, and made it difficult for me to understand how alluring she was, like Guiles so often explained. Despite the portions of the biography that were vague and hard to decipher, Fred Lawrence Guiles mastered the recounting of the life of Marilyn Monroe.
They did not challenge gender norms or ideals. Nor did they aim to usurp the position of the man. Rather, they supported the overarching mentality that women were to be submissive, strive to fulfill the needs and wants of men, and aim to please their male counterparts. (Kallen) Importantly, none of these women or representations of women exhibited any physical attributes that the dominant culture would view as masculine. Instead, they all displayed quintessential feminine characteristics and traits. Moreover, they were not valued for their brains or accomplishments; they were judged solely based on the degree to which they conformed to the male-dictated status quo. Marilyn Monroe and other sex icons of the 1950s were portrayed as dim-witted, naïve, childlike, and vulnerable, which was the polar opposite of society’s picture of the strong, smart, witty, and brave male. There was nothing about these women that challenged male superiority or threatened the overarching worldview that it was a ‘man’s world’ and women’s purpose was to make this world more enjoyable for the men who ruled it. (Meyerowitz
Specific Stages of Erik Erickson’s Stage Theory greatly exemplify the deeply confused individual of Marilyn Monroe. The most predominant features of Marilyn Monroe’s personality can be explained by Erikson’s psychosocial stages of “Identity versus Role Confusion”, “Intimacy versus Isolation”, and “Generativity versus Stagnation” (Howard & Shustack, 2009, p. 134-139). During Marilyn Monroe’s most critical period of her life, childhood, she was neither exposed to a stable mother and father figure, nor a balanced environment. Those who did love her did not remain for long enough periods to have a substantial effect on Marilyn’s life. The closest mother-type present in her life, Grace McKee, did not possess the resources needed to raise a child and thus had to withdraw as permanent stature in Marilyn’s life (Learning, 1998, p. 64-76). Aside from Grace, Marilyn also never experienced the protection and love of a father figure, or arbitrary male in her life.
There are many clues to lead to the fact she took her own life. I found it interesting Bobbie Ann Mason gave the character the name Norma Jean. Norma Jean was also the real name of Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe’s depression and inability to find lasting happiness resulted in psychological disorders with the end result of her taking her own life.
When comparing Helen of (Sparta) Troy and Marilyn Monroe they have many parallels and differences. Mutually both of these women had a coarse childhood with many hardships. Both women had a turning point when they did something that caused people to change their opinion of them. Helen and Monroe’s Beauty has luminously inspired artist for decades. When comparing Helen of troy and Marilyn Monroe, one can see many similarities between both historic individuals.
When someone speaks of Marilyn Monroe most people think she was nothing other than a woman who slept her way to the top. Of course she had her faults, but there are a variety of traits to describe her rather than just her sexual appeal. Marilyn was an iconic model, singer and actress who passed away too soon from unknown causes. She became a popular, enthusiastic actress and her films produced over 200 million dollars. Although, many people seen her as scandalous, she was more than that, she faced many troubling situations before her rise to the top only to be defeated by a sudden death.
Marilyn Monroe (Monroe) was an image of fashion and beauty in the 20th century. Overcoming a traumatic childhood to become one of the most confident women. Making bold provocative, but, fashionable statements about how women should be confident about their own body image. Without the help of others, she would not have become the person she is known as today. Marilyn Monroe, a famous actress, who has influenced the rest of the world.
Marilyn Monroe is an icon that is idolized by many and had a great impact on pop culture. She didn’t have the best childhood and had a lot of up and downs in her life. Marilyn Monroe was born in California in 1926. She was named Norma Jeane Mortenson after a popular actress at the time. Her mother Gladys Baker was mentally ill, so she had to put Monroe in foster care. She lived in a foster home until she was seven years old. She had two other siblings from her mother’s first marriage. She never met them because her mom’s first husband took them to live with him in Kentucky.
Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jeane Mortenson. A devious soul but a pure heart, a black past, but a bright future; she became one of the most idolized figures in society. Norma was definitely not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and she never sugar coated her life to the media. She was straight forward which made her heavily known for her quotes such as “I learned to walk as a baby and I haven’t had a lesson since.” (Marilyn Monroe). This was the beginning to her life story as a hero. This may not seem inspiring or heroic to many by the lack of knowledge a person may have on Norma. In the depths of her quotes lay a deep, heartfelt life though. For this quote may seem sensational and comical to the ear, but Marilyn was transferred to many foster homes not really having a parent that would show her the way. What a good role model would do though, and what Norma courageously has shown society, is that when life knocks you down, get up and hit life back twice as hard. Norma Jeane Mortenson, married Jim Dougherty, and started working. Soon she created the character Marilyn Monroe, she dyed her hair blonde, wore short dresses, and she became the momentous and inspirational character that everyone saw through television, newspapers, and photos. She was one of the greatest actors, singers, and models of the nineteen forties and fifties. But like every hero they suffer and create their own demise. Jeane, Marilyn Monroe, is a shakespearean tragic hero, because like every hero she must fall.
The female fatale Norma Desmond, starred by Gloria Swanson, is a distorted version of the actress herself - who had been largely absent for almost 16 years when she performed in Sunset Boulevard. Norma Desmond is the typical example of a celebrity living in the netherworld between the passed stardom and reality - "I am big, it is the pictures that got small." In the entire Sunset Boulevard, Norma is always performing as if constantly watched by fictional audiences. Her dramatic movements, s...
Even though she has been deceased for more than fifty years, people today still are interested in Marilyn Monroe's childhood, love stories, and whether she died by suicide or not. ...
Marilyn Monroe was a deeply troubled woman and I believe that in applying a Psychoanalytic Perspective to her life, the first theorist that comes to mind is Erik Erickson and his stage theory of personality. In applying his theory we see that we can assess Marilyn’s personality through Erickson’s psychosocial stages of “Identity vs. Role Confusion” and “Intimacy vs. Isolation” (Friedman & Schustack 133-134). Marilyn’s childhood, the most critical time in any child’s life when any and all relationships are crucial to their healthy development proved to be the catalyst for her later problems in life as evident by the lack of any solid and
Norma Jean, most famously known as Marilyn Monroe was a famous actress in Hollywood that was one of the biggest sex symbols to come by in the 1900’s. Marilyn Monroe did not start out as an actress or one of the world’s biggest sex symbols, she began her career as a model. Monroe began work in a weapons factory in Burbank, California, where she was later discovered by a photographer. She was married to her first husband Jimmy Dougherty who was a marine. Jimmy had been deployed for some time and when he returned in 1946, Monroe had a fruitful career as a model, and she also changed her name from Norma Jean Baker to Marilyn Monroe in preparation for an acting career (Cinnamon,
Maslow’s Psychoanalytical perspective can be used to give an understanding of this part of Marilyn Monroe’s life. Maslow’s theory was developed and based on hierarchy of needs. Maslow wanted to know and understand what motivated people. His belief was that individuals are motivated to achieve certain needs (Feist & Feist, 2009). According to Maslow, Marilyn Monroe had some loving, belongingness needs and safety needs. Maslow believed that when people had their needs for love and belongingness in early years, they do not panic or feel devastated when they are rejected or denied of love. Whereas people who experienced love and belongingness in small doses, have stronger needs for affection and acceptance (Feist & Feist, 2009). This can be app...
Marilyn Monroe is one of the most famous celebrities of the 21st century (Pettinger, 2013). She appeared in 29 films throughout her career, and seemed very successful and well adjusted to outsiders. After she was found dead after an apparent suicide, the public was exposed to her inner turmoil. Monroe spent her short life dealing with problems, many stemming from her unstable childhood (Wholper & Huston, 1964) Karen Horney, 1885-1952, was a psychoanalytic psychologist who developed a theory of neurosis, and studied the ways neurotic people deal with anxiety from interacting with others. Horney deduced that childhood was a time of anxiety, and that children deal with that anxiety by being compliant, aggressive or withdrawing. If a child lives in an unstable home, they will become overly dependent on one strategy, leading to neuroticism in later years (Brenner, 2009). I believe that Monroe childhood fits into Horney’s model of neuroticism based on her tumultuous childhood, and that her behaviour displays many traits associated with excessive compliance in her later years.
Due to her mother suffering from a severe mental illness and the lack of attention from her real father, Marilyn spent many years with an alternate family. “Shortly after birth Norma Jeane (Marilyn Monroe) was sent 16 miles away to foster care” (Peterson online). From the time she was sent away to foster care Marilyn had believed “that her mother did not want her and that she always got in the way” (Woog 7). After years in foster care Marilyn went to live with her mother in 1933. (Woog 8).