Imitation of Life

You can't escape who you are...

Douglas Sirk's 1959 version of Imitation of Life is a classic film about the relations between women and the relations between white and black women. Lora Meredith, played by Lana Turner, is a classical Anglo-Saxon single mother aspiring to be a famous actress. Her daughter Susie, played by Sandra Dee, is the all-american sweetheart learning to grow up within a black and white family unit. Her nanny and friend is the strong and beautiful Annie Johnson, played by Juanita Moore. Annie also, much like Lora, is a single mother who lives with and works for Lora Merdith with her daughter, Sara Jane (played by Susan Kohner). Sirk relays the movie to the viewer as a film about women and a film about race. The four women struggle to understand themselves and each other through various social and personal trials such as racism, understanding, and patriarchal oppression. The following paragraphs give a better understanding of how the movie relays these issues.

Imitation of Life deals with several forms of oppression: male vs. female, mother vs. daughter, master vs. servant, and perhaps most controversially, white vs. black. Annie chooses a life of acceptance and submission; she resigns to the fact that things are unchangeable and that the best thing a black person can hope for is a nice benefactress like Lora Meredith. Sarah Jane, however, "was born to be hurt." She attempts to deny her biracial background by hurting her mother and running away. She is nevertheless continuallly punished, whether it is by an abusive boyfriend or the children at school, and is forced to see that she will never be white. Finally, Sarah Jane is ultimately punished by her mother's death. This touchy subject of black/white relations in the 60s is portrayed in such a manner that makes the viewer question the director's motives for dealing with such an issue.

Imitation of Life's focus on women's issues is perhaps no coincidence since the original novel was written by Fannie Hurst and some of the script writing was done by Eleanore Griffin; these women likely brought pieces of 1950's life into the film. But are the issues presented in the film really different in 1990's society? Surprisingly, the answer is no. These womens' struggles reveal a striking similarity between the expectations of women in American society in the 1950's and the 1990's. But unlike many pessimistic critics of Imitation of Life, I herald Sirk's female characters for relentlessly pursuing their dreams- whether of an acting career, financial security, or a more open-minded child. These women, as all women in society, should not be deemed neglectful for their ambition, but admired for their strength. (P>The main character Lora Meredith, played by Lana Turner, makes it clear that she will sacrifice her dreams for no man and I think her perseverance deserves recognition. Even though her parenting is compromised in some situations for her acting, in reality, isn't that the price career-women pay? Imitation of Life then is truly life, though perhaps 1950's society would like us to believe Lora Meredith is a bad imitation of a mother. But she is the epitome of an American career-woman: she has a child and may be alone in raising her, delicately balances motherhood with achieving her dreams of a career, is scorned for neglect of her children, and gets no respect from society. As Sirk wrote "I saw the story as a piece of social criticism- you can't escape who you are," (Hunter, 19). Meredith could not escape the fact that she was uncompromising with her acting dreams, and she was willing to accept the consequences.