PHRASE: "...stop acting, Mama...stop being the martyr..."

PHRASE: "...stop acting, Mama...stop being the martyr..."

In this scene of Imitation of Life, Susie is calling out her mother, Lora, on resorting to acting rather than actually confronting their issues. This statement that Susie makes reflects the theme of the movie in imitating life. Is imitation a flawed version of reality, as Bhabha suggests in his writing, or is imitation actually reality itself. In the movie, it seems that Lora's acting or imitation is, in fact, her own reality. Susie begs for her mother to come out of this imitation, but, when Lora breaks down and Susie's resolve to confront her mother on becoming real crumbles, it is obvious that Lora's imitation and reality are inseparable.