A.+Early+Years



Marilyn Monroe’s Childhood: Marilyn’s mother, Gladys Pearl Monroe married Martin E. Mortensen in 1924.Norma Jeane began life with one significant strike against her: She had no father to help raise her, to protect her, or to love her. However, Mortenson already filed for divorce in 1927. Reports say that the couple had separated much before Gladys’ pregnancy. Marilyn felt a profound loss at having never known a father. It left a scar that never healed. Her conflicting stories and fantasies about her father seem to represent her attempts to put her parentage in perspective or to come to grips with her hazy past.

Marilyn’s mother was unfortunately not stable enough to care for her; therefore, Marilyn was given to her foster parents – Albert and Ida Bolender. Marilyn always denied the fact that Mortensen was her father throughout her life. Although Marilyn then moved in with her mother, few years later, Gladys was admitted back into the hospital due to a breakdown.

Marilyn then ended up in the Los Angeles Orphans Home. Grace McKee who was a very good friend of Gladys took her back home later on. From there, Marilyn lived a very unstable life with many people, following assaults by many including Goddard (Grace’s husband). Finally, Grace married Marilyn to James Dougherty in 1942. This was to avoid Marilyn from returning back to the orphanage.

" //I was never used to being happy, so that wasn't something I ever took for granted. You see, I was brought up differently from the average American child because the average child is brought up expecting to be happy. // " -- MARILYN MONROE, 1954

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