Throughout American history, there have been many inspirational stories about young adults who have grown from an unstable childhood to a world famous actor or actress. These individuals have the most inspiring stories of how he or she overcame the loss of love from parents, or struggle from a hard life in fostercare to become a world famous icon. The story of Marilyn Monroe embraces this. Marilyn’s life story tells of how she grew from a childhood of lost love from both parents to become one of the biggest sex symbols alive.
Marilyn was born as Norma Jeane Baker on June 1 1926 (“Marilyn Monroe” Bio online) to Gladys Pearl Baker who was a film technician (“Marilyn” Scribner online). Marliyn never completely knew either of her parents as a young child. Marilyn’s mother Gladys suffered from extreme mental illnesses and couldn’t parent Marilyn as she should (Peterson online). Glady’s also never had a close bond to Marilyn’s father C. Stanley Gifford (Marilyn Grolier 170), therefore, Marilyn was never introduced to her real father (“Marilyn Bio online).”
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).
Throughout her life, Marilyn went through many marriages and many divorces. Marilyn attended Van Nuys High School but dropped out at the early age 14 to marry (“Marilyn” Scribner online). Afte...
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...e.” Goodreads 2014. Goodreads Inc. 31 January 2014 . Path: Marilyn Monroe.
“Marilyn Monroe.” Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures 2003. Biography in Context. Gale. North Miami Community Schools. 14 January 2014 . Path: Marilyn Monroe.
“Marilyn Monroe.” The Grolier Library of North American Biographies. Danbury: Grolier Educational Corporation, 1994. 170-171.
Petersen, Jennifer B. “Marilyn Monroe.” 2005: 1-2. Mas Ultra – School Edition. EBSCOhost. North Miami Community Schools. 15 January 2014 . Path: Marilyn Monroe.
Rudnick, Paul. “Marilyn Monroe.” Time 14 June 1999, Vol. 153 Issue 23: 128. Middle Search Plus. EBSCOhost. North Miami Community Schools. 15 January 2014 . Path: Marilyn Monroe.
Woog, Adam. Marilyn Monroe. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1997.
Some Like It Hot, Gentleman Prefer Blondes, and The Seven Year Itch are just a few of the movies that the actress Marilyn Monroe is known for. However the life of the movie star was cut short when she died at age 36 from an acute barbiturate poisoning. It was suspected that Marilyn took her own life, however she could have just as easily been taken out by the Kennedy family to prevent her from spilling all the dirty secrets she knew because of her alleged affairs with John and Robert Kennedy. Monroe was murdered by the Kennedy family in order to keep her from revealing government secrets that she gained knowledge of during the affairs she has with John and Robert Kennedy, which she threatened to make public after both
Saari, Peggy, ed. Prominent Women of the 20th Century. Volume 4. New York: International Thompson Publishing Company, 1996.
Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco on December 14, 1916, a year prior to the U.S. entering World War I. It was a very tumultuous time in the world and especially influential in Ms. Jackson’s life as she developed through childhood. Events of the time that may have influenced Ms. Jackson’s view of society when growing up included the introduction of prohibition, the Roaring 20’s, women’s suffrage, and the advent of the Great Depression. Women were beginning to exercise their independence and more exciting opportunities to develop creativity as a female finally seemed a real possibility.
He explores ideas of Monroe in terms of feminist thinking – examining the debate on whether she was an exploited woman, or a rebel who took control of her own sexuality. Monroe had a clearly complex relationship with her status as a sex symbol. She didn’t want to receive that label from the outside, acted and dressed in a manner that arguably objectified herself, but admitting that if she had to be a symbol, sex wasn’t a bad one to be. He also examined, in detail, the degree of control that Monroe had over her own image and how she was portrayed, and the influence of her sex symbol status over the roles she played, and how it is constructed, breaking down Bus Stop shot-by-shot, teasing her sexuality only to reveal that, unsurprisingly to anyone who’s put one on, getting into a leotard isn’t exactly sexy business
Arthur Miller’s experiences with women are depicted through their roles in his plays. He is quoted as saying “I like the company of women. Life is boring without them”. This is fitting because he married one of the most interesting women in American history. Marilyn Monroe is a notorious sex symbol because she was objectified during her time as an actress. Her blond hair and pretty face easil...
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, 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.
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...
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. ...
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.
A re-emerging image in Hollywood is that of the sex symbol, represented by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950's. Monroe is Hollywood's classic sex symbol, where the cultural phenomena she creates, instigates her immortal and legendary status. The first ever issue of Playboy magazine features Marilyn Monroe as the “cover girl”. By decoding meaning from this magazine cover, the visual and written text becomes a communicator for both obvious and subtle meaning conveyed through her image.
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,
Rollyson, Carl E. Marilyn Monroe: A Life of the Actress. Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1986.
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
Murder in the First Degree: The Tragedy of Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe, one of Hollywood’s most sought-after women, was a famous actress and model. Betty Richardson, author of “Marilyn Monroe,” explains that Monroe was an orphan for most of her childhood and lived in many abusive foster homes; yet, she rose to fame after catching a photographer’s attention in 1945. She created a controversy due to the extremely modest values in the 1900’s. As Richardson writes, her non-conservative attire and sexually explicit photos lead to “contradicting attitudes of Americans toward female sexuality.”