Marilyn Monroe--samples # 1-3

Sample # 1

As a way of review: take a another look at the first sample of "Norma Jean" the mystery person from a few days ago. Marilyn, of course. I deleted a post from today and added in the first sample and comments here so you could view all of them in one post.

Note the leftward slant, many also are vertical, the stick-like lateral appearance, the personal pronoun I, which is a straight line. No loops and all very simplified writing. The margins and spacing pattern is uniform and the distance between words is quite consistent. (Both of those aspects varied a great deal as you compare the samples below to this one.) She shows repression and a fear of letting go. There were parts of herself she could have never shared.

She was still known as "Norma Jean." Her half sister wrote a book about their relationship (Norma Jean didn't even know she had a half-sister until she was 12. Later they became close.) The sister mentioned the changes she noticed in N.J.'s handwriting. 'At first she wrote a prim script; in later years, after she became famous, her writing changed. It became larger and looser.' Her sister also called her "a perfectionist."

As things began to change for her, just as her sister said, her handwriting reflected those changes.

Sample # 2

By the time she wrote this she was "Marilyn" and on her way to success. Notice the dramatic change in her slant. She has moved away from withdrawal and is putting herself out there. Still, she is still somewhat internally restricted (the tight spacing between letters) so she is not fullly at ease with herself. (She never attained that.) The baseline goes up and down. She is not on an even keel. So, while she seems, and probably was much more outgoing at this point, she is manifesting some fears. (Once people become well-known they may have other issues loom up.)

She is very sensitive about criticism (her subjectivity shown by slant and also notice those inflated d stems, which add to the evaluation.) She is setting high goals (note the low t stems on the first example compared to the high ones here) and she is overcompensating for feeling vulnerable by developing an inflated ego. (The large caps. You will see even larger ones in the next sample.) She is standing up for herself by resisting interference (those larger buckles on the ks) Notice the predominance of clipped endings. There is no easy outstretched giving. (Yes, reasonably elongated endings are one way to evaluate generosity of spirit. If the endings get excessive the value of generosity changes into extravagance so as to satisfy some need. That no longer is true generosity. We will talk more about generosity in the future.)

Sample # 3

Written at a point of depression later in her life. The size is restricted and there is much more internal tension. The baseline is no longer predictable or even. In her personal pronoun I her slant changes and goes vertical. Note the poor stroke quality on the page. Blotches of heavy ink with lots of retracing. Letter size is very irregular. A strong clue that she has changed a great deal. Even the extremely high caps are gone. This is a very intense and unhappy point in her life.

So, with these three samples of Norma Jean/Marrilyn it is easy to see how handwriting can change over time.

I have only touched the highlights here. It might be helpful for you to review some past examples of your writing. Ditto for others in your life. It might give you some clues about what is going on.

Comments

[Kelley]

I found this website very interesting. How can I tell what my inner feelings are by looking at my handwriting?