The biographical genre is one that is rarely chosen for pleasure. People generally don't set foot in that section of the library unless they have been instructed to do so by academics. Naturally this is also the personal reason why I take up a biographical text. A good biography tells a story just like any other book, only with more dates and realistic value. This consists of the development of early character traits and struggles, followed by the steps taken to overcome difficulties, and finally the crucial choices that are made and the results of these choices. Throughout the book there will be people who have had a big enough impact on the person to be worthy of mention and, to some extent, a lesson will be learned from all of this. A moral to the story in the same way that there are lessons to be learned from the story. Marilyn Monroe's life was full of ups and downs, from orphanhood as a child to the numerous failed marriages of her young adulthood. “Marilyn Monroe: A Life of the Actress” offers an in-depth look at Marilyn's life and death, understanding the main points of what led to her untimely death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In her early life, before establishing herself under the stage name “Marilyn Monroe,” she was simply Jane Norma Jean. From childhood she was as dramatic as ever, seeking the attention of an insensitive mother and later a series of insensitive adoptive parents. The first difficulty he faced was the absence of his father. This was soon followed by his mother's removal from his life when she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and sent to a mental institution. The author of "Marilyn Monroe: A Life of the Actress" delves into her struggles and how she reconsidered them during interviews later in life, mentioning her attention-seeking tendencies to exaggerate her bad luck. Norma Jean suffered from anxiety due to her unorthodox childhood, having been tossed from one caretaker to another. She was unable to find her identity for reasons that psychologists might suggest were due to a lack of a parental figure or guidance. She was neglected and as a result had a personality split between extreme highs and lows. After setting her heart on Hollywood, Norma Jean recognized the fact that she needed to improve on many things, starting with her education. She specifically surrounded herself with people who could help her achieve her goals and struggled to reach people outside of this circle. The first influential figure in her life was Natasha Lytess, the woman who suggested that Norma Jean take on a stage name. Thus Marilyn Monroe was born. Her long brown locks were cut short, bleached blonde and suited the popular style of that time. She had been taught to act a certain way, to smile with her lips curled just right, to speak with the perfect sex appeal. Natasha accompanied Marilyn on many of her sets as Monroe had developed an incredible addiction to her. The author often brings up Marilyn's need to rely on someone else for support during her retelling of her short life. She looked at them to reassure her of her new identity and remind her of the person she was supposed to be. Unfortunately she was fired from both her initial contracts with 20th Century Fox and Columbia. Driven by desperation for money, she turned to stripping and nude photoshoots to pay the bills. She is also believed to have provided sexual favors to men who agreed to support her in herscareer. One of these men was Joe Schenck, an executed producer at 20th Century Fox. She sought help from him to secure her name and place in showbiz. The first of his crucial choices was the decision to go to college at the University of California. Embarrassed by the lack of knowledge she could offer in conversation, she felt this would enrich her personality. We never went to enough school to get a college degree. Monroe then fell in love with Fred Karger, a music teacher with an irresistible smile and elegance. However, he was brutally honest with Marilyn and berated her for her immaturity. This toxic relationship ended when she was introduced to Johnny Hyde, a powerful Hollywood agent who was the first influential person in her life to express unconditional faith in her star quality. Unlike her past mentors, Hyde built her up instead of tearing her down and forcing her to be what was wanted of her. It helped her get a role in Asphalt Jungle and there began her tendency to crave repeat after repeat due to her need for perfection and insecurity in her work. This led to 20th Century Fox offering him a seven-year contract and the rise of his career. Fame struck and hit hard. His past indecencies with nude photo shoots were exposed, as was the idea that it would have been exaggerated for most of the miserable orphans. She'd finally gotten what she'd wanted so desperately for so long and now people were digging into her sex life and picking apart her wardrobe. Her previous insecurities soon catch up with her, and Monroe begins to worry that she won't be able to maintain this fame. She runs away to marry a man with whom she had had a brief affair only to divorce him several days later. At this point he bordered on hysteria in his internal conflicts. Shortly thereafter she married Joe DiMaggio, a man who had seen her in a photo and immediately wanted to meet her. He never had any interest in her career and acting roles, but loved her purely for the physical attraction. Marilyn, as she had done so often throughout her life, relied heavily on him and quickly became frustrated with his rejection of her intellectual attributes. They divorced during her work on The Seven Year Itch and during this time she had frequent breakdowns on set. His mental stability had been wavering for some time, but now it was really starting to fall apart. Every public moment of his life became another stage act to sustain the personality he had tried to be all along. She turned to a controversial therapy called Method in which there is intense concern about how an actor's private life affects their acting roles. This is believed to have tarnished her ego by forcing her to relive past traumatic experiences. Marilyn eventually married a man named Miller and attempted to have a child with him. She had a miscarriage and was suffering from severe mental problems at the time. After the loss of her baby, Monroe turned to pills for comfort and had a series of suicide attempts before finally sealing her fate. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Tragically for Marilyn there was never a time when she completely overcame her difficulties, instead she was perpetually struggling with them and making poor choices that led to further difficulties. She never formed relationships outside of those she thought would help her career and was described as someone who was difficult to get close to..