Depiction of Gender Roles in the Movies Now Voyager, Real Women Have Curves and Imitation of Life

From the post-depression era to now, a lot of moving and influential movies such as “Now Voyager”, “Real Women Have Curves” and “Imitation of Life” have been produced in the industries of American Cinema.

These movies focus on changing social attitude regarding Women and Race. In this paper, we will first analyze the mother-daughter relationship in each movie. Secondly, we will explain how that relationship is different from one movie to another and finally, we will discuss how that relationship reflects something important about the way women roles have changed in American society.

“Now Voyager” is a 1942 American classic woman’s films that has involved female protagonists, and dealt with woman’s issues such as motherhood, marriage and domestic life. This film features Bette Davis as Charlotte vale, who suffers nervous breakdown largely due to constant harassment at the hands of her domineering, tyrannical and wealthy mother, Mrs. Vale whose verbal and emotional abuse of her unwanted daughter has contributed to the woman’s complete lack of self-confidence.

Mrs. Vale is a great actress and perfect for this role of a manipulative, destructive, attention seeking and terrorist, who only live for her own gratification manipulating and terrorizing her daughter by telling her what to wear, how to talk and who to associates with. She did not even want to accept that her daughter has mental problem. For example Mrs. Vale said: 'No member of the Vale family's has ever had a nervous breakdown.' And Dr. Jaquith responds: 'Well there's one having one now!' You can certainly understand why Charlotte was so messed up.

A mother like this may be perceived as being very strong, and having a very independent nature, so much so that she would tend to be intimidating. However, that is all a surface made up image. The truth is that a mother of that type, is actually very insecure, and must cling on to other people in order to feel safe.

For example, Charlotte's mother has for Charlotte's entire life made her feel as if she or worthless, couldn't do anything to help herself, and very much in need of her mother. However, the opposite is true. It was Charlotte's mother who was in need of support. Charlotte's mother has been a burden for so many years to Charlotte that she is pulling Charlotte to the bottom with her. Point here is that anyone who controls another person it's not really in control at all.

Another drama film that has some similarities in terms of mother-daughter relationship compare to “Now Voyager” is the story of the first generation Mexican-American Ana Garcia who is an 18 years-old girl, a student at a high school and her passage to womanhood in the 2002 film called “Real Women Have Curves”. Unlike Charlotte in “Now Voyager”, Ana is a daughter of an immigrant mother named Carmen Garcia who expresses love in unconventional and harmful way. Ana was between classic Latin traditions and the modern American society and must battle against the view of her mother who constantly teases her about her weight and think she should stay at home and provide for the family. She must struggle to balance her dream of going to college with her family duty and a tough economic situation.

Another difference in both movies is how Ana and her mother argue over their life opinions. The difference in a mother-daughter relationship here compare to the one in “Now Voyager” is that Carmen is an old-fashioned, dramatic and traditional mother.

For instance, the way Ana’s mother handles her going away for college, has negatively affected her relationship with her daughter. Constantly, we see that Ana and Carmen do not have a mother-daughter relationship at all. A mother who continuously teased her daughter about her weight and does not realize or does not care her feelings will be hurt.

Over all, I think that the mother-daughter relationship between Anna and Carmen is as bad as the one in “Now Voyage” between Charlotte and Mrs. Vale except the fact that Carmen did not die. Real women are women who believe they are real women. No one should be judged on their looks. All women are real women. Fat, thin, chubby, or downright skeletal. Everyone deserves respect regardless of how they look.

Unlike the previous two movies, “Imitation of Life” is a 1934 powerful movie with all kinds of mixed emotions where the light skin daughter named Peola Johnson have been proven to be challenging child to rise as she rejects her black mother called Delilah Johnson in order to live a life as white. This movie covered three important topics: racism and its consequences; a mother's love and the pros and cons of being too ambitious and driven. In this sad movie, we will first have the impression that Peola was trash for treating her mother like that but that was a different era when people of color experienced different types of racism. How bad was Peola to hurt her mother like that? She should give the woman who bore her and gave her life all the love and respect she deserves.

This movie teaches you to appreciate people while they’re here because when they're gone its nothing you can do. You don’t miss a person until there gone, and then it’s too late. Every chance that we get, we have to let our mothers know that we love them and that they will always be the Queens. Delilah Johnson had that sweetheart beautiful spirit within her that only comes from loving everyone.

It is sad that people become embarrassed of their own loved ones, instead of standing tall with them when the society tend to let us believe that the color of our skin mattered more than the content of our character and brain. Many became hurt because of this. A skin shade can cause so much difference and pain. White, Black we are all unique and beautiful. It is the inside of the person that really matters. Great Movie, with a powerful message. When you don't love who you are, you can never love others. Except who you are, embrace who you are, love who you are. You're who God created. Every child should see this, and understand you get one mother and if your mother is still here you are truly blessed amen. A mother's unconditional love. Delilah loved her daughter to death. Too bad her daughter didn't understand how much until after Annie died. So many things in our lives are imitations and we reject what is real.

The second impressions that we can have is that we should have compassion for Peola too. She saw how much harder her mother's life was than any number of white people and she recognized early in life that people treated her differently and better than her mother so she could have that easier life if she chooses. Imagine what it was like to be her; it would have been harder to resist the lure of passing. I think her mother understood that too, which is why she was able to forgive her. Of course she should never have blamed her mother, but she is also a victim of racism and the environment.

Peola could not fit in to her reality in the 50s... she would have been an outcast among colored folks as she was in the white world. We should sympathize with Peola. Obviously it is awful what she did to her mother but let's be honest her reasoning had support, especially during that time period. I totally understand the bitterness that festered. Also she kept saying “I am white”, from what I understand her father was white and why shouldn't she also claim that part of herself?

Although I hated the way Peola treated her own mother, in those times I understand why she would pass as white. Black people were treated like animals especially in those times. She wanted a better opportunity for herself and her future children. Peola did love her mother; she just didn't know how to deal with the injustice of the world’s issues of black and white. The children pay the price.

In conclusion, we can notice that twenty first century has brought dramatic change in women’s roles. Women in American society are now able to establish their own identity in the modern American society. They are more feminists and challenge the concept of what the society believed would be their values. They have proved that they are second to none, whether in the house or work. They bring up children with love and affections and manage household duties. They have shown their capacity to deal with recent financial crisis and more importantly they are very well educated. Women need to share more of their individual perspectives in a unanimous voice; they have to become a self-defined community and not let their community be limited by the ideals of some people in the society, rather oppose society and create their own definition of real women. They need to stay away from those who try to belittle their ambitions.