Charles Manson

Charles Manson is considered as much a part of American history in the 1960s as the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Books and films have been written about him and his sect, and his name has become part of the stage pseudonym of singer Marilyn Manson. The group, founded by the criminal, committed at least nine murders in 1969, although he did not personally stain his hands with blood, his guilt is even worse, Manson oversaw bloody massacres to start a racial war.

Biography of Charles Manson and Analysis of his Family

Manson had a very difficult childhood. According to some sources, his single mother was an alcoholic, and his uncle was partly involved in his upbringing. He thought the boy was too soft and once sent him to school in a woman’s dress. Charles soon set out on the criminal path and spent most of his adolescence and youth in correctional schools and prisons for theft, robbery, and other crimes. But already there he dreamed of becoming famous and fell in love with the band The Beatles. Manson believed that the Beatles were sending him encrypted messages through their songs, which were reduced to the fact that the black population would soon seize power in the United States, and he should lead the resistance movement (Guinn 197). Manson’s childhood trauma along with his desire to be a member of society would later result in his fixation on cult groups, in which people would feel being close to each other.
Charles Manson’s infamous “Family” consisted mostly of women who were frustrated in life, depressed, and searching for meaning in life. He attracted them due to his natural charisma and gradually turned them into submissive fans who were ready to do whatever the will of his idol. Manson managed to turn his Family into a sort of dictatorial state of its own with his followers obeying his every command and whim. At the ranch, where the Manson sect lived, he had orgies with LSD, marijuana, and other drugs, and preached sermons in which he was the incarnation of Christ and the devil (Almasy and Griggs). This leads to the conclusion that Manson would have been selective regarding the “members” of his family and would pick people susceptible to drugs, alcohol, and uncontrolled sexual activity.
Manson wanted fame and saw himself as a cult rock musician in the future. However, the producer Terry Melcher, with whom he was introduced by Dennis Wilson, did not consider his talent in him and did not cooperate. The first victim of the Manson family was music teacher Gary Hinman, who introduced Charles Manson to the drummer, vocalist, and composer of the rock band The Beach Boys Dennis Wilson. The latter was very imbued with the philosophy of a new acquaintance and ”Family” lived for some time in his estate (Guinn 152). Apparently, Manson was viciously charismatic, drawing the attention not only of his followers but also of the respected members of society at the time.
The most notorious murder was committed by the Manson family on August 9, 1969, in the prestigious area of ​​Beverly Hills. That day, four of his followers stormed the house where director Roman Polanski and his wife, actress Sharon Tate, lived. The goal was chosen not by chance, earlier in the same house lived the same producer Melcher, who did not want to make Manson a rock star. Polanski was away at the time of the attack. The ”family” killed everyone she found in the house. Sharon Tate was 8 months pregnant and begged to be left alive for the sake of the baby. She was killed with a shout her fate did not worry her much. The unborn child died two hours later (245). After the murder, it became evident to everyone that Manson was not the person he tried to look like but rather a butcher with strong obsessions that would make him commit unthinkable crimes.
Manson’s sect was finally arrested in October on a ranch near Death Valley. At the trial, Charles and some of his girls made a fuss: they giggled, sang, and carved crosses on their foreheads as a sign that they were breaking ties with the establishment. Manson made a cross for himself in the form of a Nazi swastika. In 1975, one of the supporters attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford (301). Manson would, thus, demonstrate that his legacy was strong enough for the crimes to continue, which would create fear and panic in society for some time.

Conclusion

Manson had nine life terms; however, he continued to live an active life and maintained his own website, corresponded with women, and gave interviews to leading media. In 2015, Manson nearly married a young Afton fan, Elaine Bjorton, who was 53 years his junior. However, preparations for the marriage had to be broken, it turned out that Bjorton planned to use Manson’s body to expose him after his death in Los Angeles in a glass sarcophagus and display it to the public for money.

Works Cited

Almasy, Steve, and Brandon Griggs. ”Charles Manson, Leader of Murderous Cult, Dead At 83”. CNN, 2017, https://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/20/us/charles-manson-dead/index.html.
Guinn, Jeff. Manson: The Life And Times Of Charles Manson. Simon And Schuster, 2014.