Parallels Between Bea and Delilah

I like the parallels that Imitation of Life draws between Delilah and Bea. The two women are remarkably similar in the sense that both live for their daughters and hold them first and foremost, slaving away for them constantly. Bea worked relentlessly so that Jessie would not be deprived of anything; so that she could afford to send her daughter to the best schools and buy her anything she would ever need. Delilah’s wants for Peola are different, on account of her race, but only in theory. Rather than opting to send Peola to the best schools, Delilah’s grandest hope for Peola is that she not have to labor away in someone’s kitchen like her mother. I also thought it remarkable that from the beginning of the movie, before Bea and Delilah struck gold with their pancake empire, Delilah’s only desire for herself is to have a grand funeral, while Bea dreams of more earthly luxuries like vacations and elegant houses. This is so apt because perhaps this is the best thing that a very dark black woman could wish for in the early 20^th century in
America.