Often, the characters that are considered the most heroic are those who are able to shatter social norms in order to achieve a personal dream.  They are made to pursue this dream at all costs, regardless of who is hurt in the process.  What “Imitation of Life” asks viewers to consider is, perhaps this quest is not entirely noble.  Though “Imitation of Life” is riddled with characters unable to accept their own identities, the most frustrating was undoubtedly Laura.  She is utterly unable to consider the result of her tireless pursuit of fame and glory.

Other than Laura, the characters all suffer some sort of moral dilemma in regards to their main life goals.  As Sarah Jane struggles with her own heritage, she is constantly racked with guilt – even when fighting with her boyfriend about her race she is defensive, trying to explain away a connection that she is not entirely sure she wants to break.  Steve is apologetic for his dream, abandoning his photography in order to pursue a more socially acceptable career that would allow him to be the breadwinner for Laura and Susie.  Laura however, for the vast majority of the film, is utterly oblivious to the pain and trouble her own quest to break social norms is causing.  She leaves Susie to create a maternal bond with Annie, and shuns Steve in favor of a responsibility-free existence.

This tendency is most clearly exemplified in the staircase scene, where Steve all but begs Laura to abandon her acting in favor of something more stable – the national fantasy of the nuclear family.  Steve confronts Laura, imploring her to live with him as the patriarch and sole breadwinner, allowing her to fill the traditional women’s role instead of designating it to Annie. To Steve, there is nothing noble about embarking upon a quest for self-realization if it comes at the cost of ‘the American Dream’.  Laura absorbs only his one jab about the “childish” nature of her dreams, outside of that she is deaf to everything he has to say.  She is utterly incapable of considering an option that might require self-sacrifice.  In choosing her dream over Steve’s wellbeing, she forces viewers to elect whether to sympathize with her or to denounce her for being so selfish.  One could admire the untouchable motivation in her desire to go “up, up, up” yet it is difficult not to see the single-minded, destructive obsession that goes hand-in-hand with it.

The overarching message here is that the definition of American Identity is variable.  Should achieving a dream hold inherent value, regardless of its effects on others?  Or should individuals be held accountable for the damage their pursuit causes?  The damage Laura leaves behind her makes her quest seem selfish and childish yet at the same time, she could be deified as someone willing to break social norms in a time where standing outside the accepted norms by even an inch could cast you as a pariah.