Marilyn Monroe by Ashley Pena

“Be real, be yourself, be unique, be true, be honest, be humble, be happy (“70 Best Marilyn Monroe Quotes on Love and Life")"

. Her face buried in the bed, medication placed perfectly on the night stand, and a beautiful face, unrecognizable. Marilyn Monroe was an icon during the 1950's (“Marilyn Monroe Is Found Dead”). She was being a well-known actress, model, and can even be called a motivational speaker toward women. Tragically, on August 5, 1962, she was found dead from an overdose on sedative drugs (1). Even though this has been stated as her cause of death, a large population believe that her death was staged. In addition to the theory that Marilyn Monroe’s death was posed as a suicide, her cause of death was due to her connection with President Kennedy’s family or by someone who was close to him (Velocci). So, what really happened to the beloved Marilyn Monroe? Let’s explore the motives of the Kennedy’s family.

Marilyn Monroe, mostly known for her acting and modeling, was chasing and pursuing her dreams since the age of five (Jason 1). One of her biggest dreams was to be known for her acting and to be taken more seriously in the industry. A newspaper article, titled " Marilyn Mon- roe Found Dead. Sleeping Pill Overdose Blamed," illustrates a beautiful, young, woman with blue eyes and curly blonde hair on her death bed. Marilyn was an icon of the roaring 20's and was excited for the life she would make for herself ("Marilyn Monroe Born"1). It consisted of many ups and downs, but Marilyn overcame almost every obstacle she faced (1).

Perseverance means continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition ("Perseverance"1). Marilyn obtained this trait from the very beginning when her father abandoned her and her mother. On her birth certificate, her mother had put "unknown" for her father's address and for the rest of her life, she would never know (Grahn 1). With her father being out the picture and with no close capable relatives, Marilyn would eventually be put into the foster care system (1). Issues in her childhood did not come from just one parent. At the age of seven her single mother developed a severe mental condition, paranoid schizophrenia, and was institutionalized (Szucs 1). She was no longer able to care for Marilyn (1). The next seven years were cruel to Marilyn. (Jason 1). In all, she was put into twelve homes (1). Moving from foster home to foster home she was traumatized by unforgettable events (1). At the age of eight she was sexually abused, but this was just the beginning ("Too Long a Silence: Marilyn Monroe's History of Sexual Abuse") In one instance:

a male boarder who had lived with her, had severely sexually abused her over a long period of time. Several sources state that when Marilyn disclosed the sexual abuse to a female authority figure, she was ostracized, not believed, and punished by the woman. The woman allegedly told Marilyn that her perpetrator was a 'good Christian' and that his rent money was very important. (1)

In addition to being sexually abused, during her foster care she endured a severe religious up- bringing (Grahn1). As stated by Marilyn, "They were terribly strict... they didn't mean any harm... it was their religion. They brought me up harshly" (1). At the age of sixteen, she took control of her life by getting married to James Dougherty (McLellan 1). Taking herself out of the injustice foster care system.

Through every traumatizing event in her childhood, she never stopped fighting for a better life for herself or for the things that she wanted most. As little as the age of five, Marilyn knew she had a passion for acting. Several years later she was offered a contract with 20th Century Fox production (McLellan). But the contract came with a price; she would have to divorce the man she was madly in love with (1). Marilyn's ambition and James' frequent traveling made the decision much easier (1)... Leaving the love of her life, Marilyn became one track minded to be successful. Just like the first marriage, Marilyn chose to ensure the success of her career over the people she loved the most (Jason1). The marriage with Joe DiMaggio ended quickly due to Joe's "discomfort with his wife's sexy image" ("Marilyn Marries Joe DiMaggio"). The divorce finalized after Marilyn's iconic scene when she stood over subway grate with the air blowing her skirt up, with DiMaggio being on the set, he became very "irate" (1). With her last marriage with famous play writer, Arthur Miller, she again picked her career over their marriage ("BBC ON THIS DAY | 24 | 1961: End of the Road for Monroe and Miller".). Being together for over 4 years, their marriage ended due to "Frequent quarrels over their differing lifestyles"(1). Did Marilyn's revolving door of relationships take a turn for the worst?

Her final involvement would be with President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert (McAfee 1). This would be the only time where Marilyn did not get to choose her success over the people she was intimately attached to (1). The Kennedy family wouldn't give her a chance. As stated by "All About Marilyn Monroe's Alleged Affairs with JFK and Brother Bobby", "the actress' 'instability posed a constant threat' to the president before she mysteriously
overdosed" (1). As perceived in the quote, Marilyn's involvement with the Kennedy family would be the worst decision of her life.

Marilyn Monroe, to this day, is known for her success, but not for what she had to go through to be the person that was so exceedingly publicized. Externally, she was one of the most successful people in the world, but internally she faced a number of obstacles and battles till she was laid to rest.

After Marilyn Monroe tragically passed away, some experts and witnesses indicate that Marilyn Monroe may not have committed suicide due to her behavior before she was proclaimed dead. Some conspiracy theories surfaced: she suicidal overdosed, she was murdered by president JFK or by someone who was connected to him and framed it as a suicidal overdose. So, was Marilyn Monroe’s life taken by her own hand or that of another? Let’s take a look and uncover the facts.

            In the first theory, Marilyn Monroe’s death was concluded to be “caused by self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death was probably suicidal,” and motivated by severe depression (“Marilyn Monroe is Found Dead” 1). Challenges that contributed to this idea that Marilyn Monroe took her own life due to the deep feeling of despondency were: living without a father figure, her mother being diagnosed with a severe mental condition, being moved from foster home to foster home until the age of sixteen, and having multiple failed marriages (1). However, even though these obstacles, Marilyn persevered and overcame them, later becoming the 20^th century’s greatest movie star. Also, this idea of Monroe committing suicide, due to depression, can be rebutted by her desires for the future. In most suicidal patients, they show signs of withdrawal and lack of purposefulness, meaning they don’t try to succeed in tasks that they had previously set for themselves (“Your Life Counts” 1). At the time Marilyn Monroe passed, she was in the process of starring in a new hit movie, illustrating her intention for the time to come. Lastly, hours before she took her last breath, her maid, Eunice Murry, overheard her having a joyful conversation on the phone as if it were any other day (“Who killed Marilyn Monroe- The Secret Truth”1). Unlike most potential suicidal patients who begin to act out of the normal and isolate themselves from others, Marilyn attended social events and continued to pursue her goals as an actress. Marilyn Monroe, on the day she died, behaved as if she was planning for her tomorrow.

When discussing how Marilyn Monroe passed, it causes a lot of raised eyebrows, including John Miner’s, a witness of Ms. Monroe’s autopsy. It has been stated that Marilyn died from acute barbiturate poisoning due to overconsumption, but some questions have developed on how true this is (“Who Killed Marilyn Monroe- The Secret Truth”1). Mr. Miner was the assistant to Monroe’s autopsy and he states, “No question Marilyn Monroe did not commit suicide and that she was a victim of a homicide, she was indeed murdered (1).” Mr. Miner supports his theory by explaining the reports of the autopsy and by recreating the scene with other researchers to see what really happened to Marilyn. He explains that there was no residue of the pills in her stomach and due to her discoloration in certain areas, this concludes that she was repositioned after she had passed (“Who killed Marilyn Monroe- The Secret Truth”1). Furthermore, there wasn’t any indication that she had vomited or asphyxiated, which is a common cause of death with drug overdoses (“The Mysterious Death of Marilyn Monroe”1). This could have possibly been a reason for not finding traces of the narcotics in her stomach, however this was not the case. So how did Marilyn have poisonous substances in liver and blood, but not in her stomach? Mr. Miner explains that the answer was never discovered because the toxicology lab reports had mysteriously disappeared (Who Killed Marilyn Monroe- The Secret Truth.”1). He also brings to our attention that along with lab reports not being able to be found, the original key photos of Marilyn’s bedroom were unexplainably lost, thus losing valuable concrete evidence (1). In addition to the information provided by Mr. Miner to validate the theory that Marilyn Monroe did not commit suicide, it was further supported in a conspiracy theory belief poll, 14 out of 20 people believed that she was murdered with 30% of the participants who said no explained that was from lack of information on Marilyn Monroe. With the information provided, its causes everyone to wonder, who could have killed Marilyn Monroe?

The second conspiracy theory purposes that the Kennedy brothers were involved in Marilyn Monroe’s death. It was said that towards the end of Marilyn’s life she and the Kennedy brothers were in intimate relationships that were kept top secret. However, when Marilyn sang “Happy Birthday Mr. President,” to JFK, their affairs began to unravel itself. It was claimed by Anthony, a journalist, that Marilyn had kept a red diary in which she was threatening to publicly announce her affair with JFK and Robert Kennedy (“The Mysterious Death of Marilyn Monroe”1). This could have besmirched their reputation and possibly revealed certain state secrets. However, before she could, she was found bare lying faced down, dead on her bed. It was later published in a book called, “The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed,” that Robert Kennedy was indeed involved in Marilyn’s death, to prevent any valuable information from leaking out to the public (“The Mysterious Death of Marilyn Monroe”1). It has also been hypothesized that someone who was close to the Kennedy family might have murdered Marilyn in regard to protecting his status such as: his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, his cabinet, or his brother Robert Kennedy (1).  With the JFK being the president at the time, this gave him or someone connected to him a motive to ensure the safety of his name, also allowing him to have the resources and connections needed to pose Marilyn’s death as a suicide, making it the most feasible theory. 

Over 50 years later, there still is not a sure answer on what happened to Marilyn Monroe on the day she died. The mystery continues. However, there are indications that Marilyn Monroe did not commit suicide: from lack of suicidal behavior, reports of her autopsy, and the Kennedy family’s motives. It seems as though Marilyn Monroe was most likely a victim of a homicide.

Work Citied

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