Marilyn Monroe Analysis

Conspiracy Theories 

There are several conspiracy theories that surround the death of Marilyn Monroe. Ms. Monroe was found naked in her bed with pills on her nightstand, and a phone in her hand (Fraga,1). One theory is that her death was a murder and Ms. Monroe was calling for help. Multiple conspiracies surround who the killer might be. The autopsy ruled that her death was caused by overdoes and since she was alone, it was presumed suicide (1). The big question everyone is wondering is why did Ms. Monroe want to kill herself? Lastly, there’s a probability on if this was a staged death. 

Who would want to kill Ms. Marilyn Monroe? Many rumors float to the Kennedy brothers. After Marylin Monroe’s famous “happy birthday” song to President JFK; people presumed that there was an affair going on between the two (Marilyn Monroe and JFK Documentary, 1). Although there is no actual proof of the relationship, many swear to have seen them together. There was another speculation between Ms. Monroe and the younger Kennedy brother, Robert (1).  There was leaked a letter between miss Monroe and Jene Kennedy where she supposedly wrote "Understand that you and Bobby are the new item! We all think you should come with him when he comes back East!"(Dixon). These rumors were starting to affect the appearance of the white house and the Kennedys spots in reelections. It’s believed that because of her alleged relationships, confidential information could have been leaked leading to a motive of murder (Scheraga). Many conspiracies point to if the Kennedys hired someone to murder her like the Mafia as to not get caught and silence Monroe for good (“The Craziest Conspiracy Theories About Marilyn Monroe’s Death”). 

If Marilyn Monroe’s death was due to suicide, what theory proves she would kill herself? As many know, Ms. Monroe had a troubling childhood causing her much trauma. “Marilyn’s psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson once reportedly suggested she could have (early-stage) schizophrenia, like her biological mother Gladys Pearl Baker” (Mehrotra). Marilyn was at a crisis after the divorce with her husband and then the loss of her close friend Clark Gabe (“Marilyn Monroe’s Final Years”). “Marilyn’s makeup artist revealed that it was difficult for Marilyn to get up due to her depressive state” (Hannah). Behind the smile of this spectacular women was sadness. Ms. Monroe had been through much going up and now in her final days, more waves of trauma and depression flooded her way. Although the death was ruled a suicide, the question remains, was this was enough for Ms. Marilyn Monroe to kill herself? 

Was Ms. Monroe’s death staged? There are several odd occurrences that surround Ms. Monroe’s death. On the night of death, the housekeeper had noticed a light on so she tried to see the reason behind Ms. Monroe being awake although after hearing no response she rang for Ralph Greenson who broke in to find her dead (Fraga,1). In her autopsy, Ms. Monroe “had high levels of Nembutal and chloral hydrate in her system” (1). The poison found matched the ingredients to the nearby pill bottle although further studies in the autopsy show that there were no pill capsules in her stomach (Shelton, 2). This discovery fueled ammunition towards conspiracies. Another strange event is that when the police arrived, the maid was washing Ms.Monroe’s sheets (2). After finding someone dead, most people are too distressed or in shock to work so this was odd for the maid to do and it tampered with evidence.  

Could Marilyn have faked her own death to start over? The obituaries, Allan Abbott and Ron Hast later expressed that “the body looked completely unrecognizable” (“Did Marilyn Monroe Fake Her Own Death?” 1). From the drama of her ex-husbands, the alleged affairs, and the CIA watching, perhaps this was the only way to a clean slate. Ms. Monroe did not like the paparazzi and used drugs and alcohol to hide her discomfort with them (1). Faking her death would put a stop to this issue. On the morning of her death, there was a reported call between Marilyn and her ex-husband, Joe DiMaggio that supposedly resulted in an end to their relationship (1). Ms. Monroe could have used this fake death as revenge although it’s highly unlikely that no one would have seen her in the passing years. Maybe the pain of ending the relationship really did lead to suicide.

 In conclusion, Marilyn went through a lot in her lifetime. Her beauty did not reveal how she suffered emotionally and as a result, she made choices that ultimately led to her having a short life that faded too early. Whether Marilyn was killed or had her death staged, she still had a untreated medical condition that was not treated properly which could have filled the suspicion of suicide. After over sixty year later, this death of Marilyn Monroe is still a mystery.