Norma Jean and her Arthur

“A poet on a street corner trying to recite to a crowd pulling at her clothes.”

The quote is attributed to Arthur Miller describing his lovely wife. She epitomized the “dumb blond” term. Was she really that dumb or so clever to let her handlers – those men “protectors” make her the “smartest dumb blonde in history?”

Such a sad and bittersweet story. “Fragments” a new book that’s due by the end of the month will try to shed light to her dysfunctional childhood and a glimpse into her tumultuous love life and her dependency (reliance?) on powerful men.

In my view, Marilyn’s story- like a lot of sad stories – has to do with the dark side of things. The cat and mouse game. Were all these male powerhouses (Arthur Miller, Saul Bellow, JFK, Yves Montand, Joe DiMaggio) so taken by her eroticism and beauty?

What was she offering that they did not have already?

And how is it that so often the end is quite significantly contradictory to the start?

There are so many Norma Jeans out there. Plenty of those find their own versions of Millers and DiMaggios. While they never make it to Marilyn’s or contemporary Paris’ sorrowful celebrity status, the principles are the same. Human relationships at some level are all about give and take. The challenge is to find the secret leverage that tips the scale – always- to the one side.

So, here’s to all of you Norma Jeans -beware of your Athurs and Joes – life’s much more complicated than beautiful screens and mirrors.