The Story of Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe once said, “Beneath the makeup and behind the smile, I am just a girl wishing for the world.” » Marilyn Monroe was just a normal girl who didn't have an easy life growing up. She didn't have a mother figure in her life and she longed to be loved. She was beautiful, but she wanted to be known for more than just her looks. His fame came unexpectedly, but it had consequences. It turned her into someone she didn't want to be. She spent most of her career struggling to find herself, but her public image had taken precedence over who she was. There are two sides to every story, and in this case, there are two sides to Marilyn Monroe. Her story is full of sorrow, but it teaches a lesson. Marilyn Monroe was more than just a popular movie star; she was a public icon who was often misunderstood. Marilyn Monroe's youth was full of great difficulties. “Marilyn was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 and spent most of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages” (“Monroe,” Encyclopedia 1). His mother, Gladys (Monroe) Baker Mortenson, worked as a film splicer; and often visited Norma in foster homes ("Monroe", Notable 1). Marilyn spent most of her life without a stable mother, and mental illness tended to run in her family. The first memory Marilyn had as a child was being choked by her grandmother Della (Wolfe 107). Her grandmother's mental instability led to her mother's. “When Marilyn was seven years old, her mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia” (“Monroe,” Notable 1). When she was little, Marilyn had to watch her grandmother and mother act in ways she couldn't understand. Due to problems at home, school was just a paper... She committed suicide before anyone saw her at her best, saw her for who she truly was. , Roger Joe and Marilyn: A Memory of Love New York: William Morrow, 1986. Print. “Monroe, Marilyn.” Encyclopedia of American Studies. : John Hopkins UP, 2010. Credo Web, January 16, 2014. “Monroe, Marilyn, June 5, 1926.” Notable American Women: The Modern Period. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1980. Credo Reference Web January 21, 2014. Peterson, Linda. “Marilyn Monroe Fragile Bombshell”. 2014. “The Transformation of Popular Culture.” » Modern American Lives: Individuals and Issues in American History Since 1945. Armonk: ME Sharpe, 2007. Credo Web Reference February 3, 2014. Wolfe, Donald H. The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe New York: William Morrow, 1998..