Blonde

Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates, is the story of Marilyn Monroe's life. Believe it or not, the famed movie star was not always this way, and actually had quite a struggle with life in the beginning. Her name was originally Norma Jeane Baker. She lived with her grandmother because her mom couldn't take care of her and would always run off. But on her 5th birthday, Norma Jeane's life is changed. Her mom picks her up and they never return back. Her mother takes her to her house where she gives her a scalding bath, a brand new doll, and when she gets annoyed with Norma Jeane, she slips some alcohol into her drink so she'll fall asleep. During her stay with her mom, she learns that her mother has very little patience with children and so Norma Jeane tries her best to behave and not make big fusses or ask too many questions. Since the story is through Norma Jeane's eyes, it hard to quite understand what is going on with Norma Jeane's mom, except for the fact that we know she's a bad mother and drinks a lot. Gladys, Norma Jeane's mom, always falls asleep in bed with a lit cigarette, so they'll wake up to the bed smoking or on fire and quickly have to douse it with water. But after Gladys almost burns the place down one night, and Norma Jeane goes running over to the neighbors, she loses her mom forever. She's put into a foster home where she begins her discovery of the Christian Science which ultimately changes Norma Jeane's look on life. But I'll explain that later.  For such a glamorous girl, it certainly didn't start out that way.

I found this picture online. It's the original document's of her stay at the Orphanage and a picture of her. 

 

 

Here's the original website of this picture! Click this link