Even if you haven't seen a Marilyn Monroe movie, you know who she was and you are familiar with the iconic image from the movie The Seven Year Itch (white halter dress getup). The name is synonymous with beauty and charisma. But the real Marilyn-Norma Jean-struggled with depression, alcohol and substance abuse, self esteem, paranoia, and chronic fear that she would not be taken seriously. What came across in the book was that Monroe was needy and mentally unstable. Monroe surrounded herself with people who she thought would help her become a serious actress. It seemed that most people in her life wanted something from her, in particular her dramatic coaches.
I felt quite sorry for her by the end. Marilyn, while bringing on much of the illness herself, did have a few very painful things to overcome. First, she was always living in fear that she would go insane like her mother who was institutionalized for most of Marilyn's life. Second, she suffered from endometriosis, a condition in which the lining of the uterus attaches to other stuff in the abdomen, and grow, causing pain, irregular bleeding, and, in severe cases, infertility. Several times Marilyn had to take time off to undergo gynecological surgery Third, she had a series of emotionally and physically traumatic miscarriages during her marriage with Arthur Miller. Not to mention the amount of pressure put on Marilyn to perform and do well from production companies, directors, and foremost, herself. Marilyn was a beautiful and troubled woman.
I would like to have had more details on Marilyn's constant sickness and early childhood. However the book is already more than 400 pages. So, I guess the early childhood and constant illness is another book completely.
No comments:
Post a Comment