Blonde is a story that is doomed from the first sentence and pulls the reader into Norma's downward spiral of self doubt and frustration. As a child, Norma's mentally unstable mother sets her up for a lifetime of doubting love - that it will be conditional and circumstantial. Furthermore, after Norma's mother is committed to a mental institution, she refuses to relinquish her rights as a parent, preventing the pretty young blonde girl from being adopted, leaving her to fend for herself in an orphanage. Eventually Norma Jean lands in a stable and caring foster home, only to be pushed into marriage at 16 because her foster mother fears Norma Jean's developing body and sexuality that follows. At this young age, Norma Jean's body as a source of male desire takes center stage. Norma Jean becomes a woman defined by how men view her.
Marilyn Monroe is the voluptous, sexy, blonde woman all American men desire, stitched into a form fitting dress displaying all her curves, full of witticisms and easy sex. However, the woman behind the Marilyn mask remains uncertain of her true identity and desires, sinking deeper and deeper into depression. During her childhood in the orphanage, Norma Jean's mentor preached Christian Scientism, which Norma Jean followed in her youth, but as the pressures of Hollywood increased, she found herself turning to drugs - for nerves, sleep, confidence, etc. As Marilyn becomes a box office hit, Norma Jean's confidence decreases, still uncertain of her role in the world.
Oates emphasizes the identities the public creates for famous figures by referring to Monroe's famous lovers as "The Ex-Athlete," "The Playwright" and "The President." Furthermore, Monroe shys away from referring to herself as Marilyn - keeping her "true self" separate from the icon Hollywood executives created. When taking a new lover, she tells men those close to her call her Norma Jean. Additionally, with each role Marilyn Monroe performs, her selfhood splits another time and gains another facet. Monroe is referred to as Rose or The Girl Upstairs or Sugar, as the situation requires. All these psydonems remain within Monroe's inner thoughts.
Part of what makes Oates's novel so compelling is the third person narrative. While she recreates conversations, it is always from a third party perspective. Occasionally the reader is privy to the inner thoughts of a character, but remains an observer, trying to piece together the truth about the scene. The reader is constantly trying to determine what is true. Which perspective represents the truth. Oates often refrains from explicit descriptions, yet her language is rich. That is, Oates implies the sexual favors required of Marilyn Monroe, without presenting graphic sex scenes. It is enough to know the degradation Monroe suffered.
I knew very little about Marilyn Monroe before I read Blonde other than basics like - married to Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller; may have been JFK's mistress; definitely sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to JFK; and of course, the iconic image of Monroe in the white dress with her skirt billowing. As a work of fiction, Oates's text works extremely well. I had the pleasure of googling Monroe when I wanted to verify a fact, but it was not essential to my understanding of the story - Monroe is a woman doomed by her circumstances as a flawed and desparate human being. Truly this novel made me appreciate that I do not have to make my way as a woman in the mid twentieth century. It was truly a man's world and Monroe was the victim of their whims. This is a fascinating read on so many levels. Oates complies a complex woman's story and distills the most compelling and tragic parts in an epic novel.
- KER
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