The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-02-24
BY WALTER d. HICKMAN


TINE two most discussed gals" of
Il fiction today are Ann Wick
ers," created by Sinclair Lewis, and
Bea Pullman in Imitation of Life"
by Fannie Hurst.
About every place I go, a literary
battle starts when people start talk
ing about Ann and Bea. To my way
of thinking, Ann Vickers is the more
tremendous character.
Ann took many filings at Glove"
without benefit of clergy and ended
up with a married judge. Quite
complicated even for these days.
On the other hand, Bea Pullman
in Imitation of Life" is successful
in business but got bad deal from
Fate when she married Mr.. Pullman,
who sold maple syrup as a side
line
Mr.. Pullman was not long for this
world because he just had to take
a train for Philadelphia which was
wrecked Mr.. Pullman never lived
to give interviews about the wreck
and Bea gave him a lovely funeral.
And so Bea was a widow as we'll
as mother at the age Of eighteen
and all she had to rely upon was the
maple-syrup side line Of her dead
husband.
And the money from these sales
had to support Bea's daughter, Jes-
sic; Bea's crippled and chair-ridden
father as we'll as Delilah and Peola.
What a combination-Delilah is
colored nanny with a baby girl
(nearly white in complexion called
Peola.
Fannie Hurst describes Delilah as
an enormously buxon figure OF a
woman with a round black moon
face that shone above an Alps OF
bosom"
And that gives you more accur-
ately a closeup of Delilah than II
Miss Hurst had taken a chapter to
paint this woman.
Delilah was godsend to Bea
In the early years of her struggle
because Delilah could cook as no
one in the world and it was Delilah's
maple sugar candies and her
tempting waffles that made Bea one
of the wealthiest business women of
her day.
Bea as a child was vastly differ
ent from Ann Vickers as night is
from day. Bea was ignorant of the
mysteries of life up to the time she
married Mr.. Pullman. Ann at the
age of fifteen was running up
against and seriously considering
sex.
18th in the end really made a
flat failure of love and think that
Bea's life especially Delilah's waf-
fles) was more useful than Ann
Wicker.
It is the drawing of Bea's early
life in her very strict home of her
parents in Atlantic City that really
makes Imitation of Life" great lit
'erature.
Miss Hurst has caught the spirit
of the real Atlantic City-not the
Boardwalk with its ever changing
tide of humans but the everyday
people who live and die in the sec
ton of Atlantic City not frequented
by the tourists.
Here are two great books. Read
"Ann Vickers' first and then imme-
diately start getting acquainted with
Bea Pullman in Imitation of Life,
published by Harpers and sells fol
$3.50.
nut va, will ro,,ony,,Ioo,. ne1i1ah no.
cause the author has made this wo-
man AS truly great as Bea from 6
character standpoint.
What are they reading in New
York? Brentano's announces then
as follows-"Ann Vickers" and I'm.
itation of Life" Pageant" by G.. B
Lancaster: "One More Spring." by
Robert Nathan; "A Marriage o
Convenience" by Anne Green. and
The Last Adam, by James GoulC
CoZzenS.
Have Just received a package from
Upton Sinclair. 1t is his latest book
called Upton Sinclair Presents Viii.
liam Fox and the author claim;
that it is "the INSIDE story of {
Wall Street conspiracy" Movie row
in indianapolis is busy reading thil
one will get busy on il in few
days.
Macsuley informs me that tn
spring publications include "Pri
vate Practice" by A. L. Furman
Love kao~s No Holiday by Mar
euerite Brenar and Passion Light
ing The World" by Maurice De
korbra. l will tell you about "Pri
yate Practice" soon.