Titanic Movie Analysis Essay Sample

Titanic (1997), directed and written by James Cameron, is a historical romance based on the true story of a British luxury steamship during its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1912. The story is presented by a woman named Rose DeWitt Bukater where she is retelling her experience of being an upper-class passenger on the Titanic. 

The movie then shifts to before the ship left the dock. Drifter Jack Dawson won third-class tickets for the Titanic in a game of poker. As everyone boards the ship, Rose, her mother Ruth, and her fiance Caledon Hockley (Cal) are introduced to the audience. They were traveling to Philadelphia to fulfill their arranged marriage to protect their wealth. Later that night, Rose attempts to commit suicide by jumping off the boat but is saved by Jack. Thus begins the love story that is told throughout the rest of the movie. They keep seeing each other after the incident despite her mother and fiance’s disapproval. One night, they were on a lower level of the boat when the Titanic hit an unavoidable iceberg, causing the ship to sink quickly. Women and children were prompted to climb aboard lifeboats while lower-class passengers were locked downstairs. Cal had planted Rose’s Heart of the Ocean necklace in Jack’s pocket to make it look like he had stolen it after sketching an image of Rose while she was getting dressed. So, Jack was handcuffed and abandoned at a lower level of the ship while Rose was searching for him. Half of the boat had already gone underwater, but they managed to find each other and make it back to the deck. Rose was forced by Cal to board a small boat, but jumped back onto the Titanic to be with Jack. Cal then attempted to kill them out of rage and shoved them onto the lower levels of the sinking ship. After the ship sunk, Jack was in the freezing water while holding onto the platform Rose was laying on. Jack froze to death right before help had arrived. 

Symbolized by the Heart of the Ocean diamond Rose wears, love and devotion is the main theme; They believed love was worth sacrificing their own lives for. This undoubtedly explains why she threw the necklace into the ocean at the conclusion of the movie. Another theme is life is priceless for both the rich and poor, and love can take place regardless of social class. The main reason why Jack and Rose’s romance was unorthodox was their vast difference in wealth.

Jack Dawson is the main protagonist whose first heroic act was saving Rose from committing suicide on the first night of their voyage. Rose imagined suicide was the only escape from her arranged marriage and wealth-obsessed mother. Amid convincing Rose to step back from the railing, she slipped. However, Jack was able to grab a hold of her arm before falling into the frigid sea. When he pulled her back up, they fell onto the deck, and Cal had found them grounded in an unusual position. He first attempted to arrest Jack until he realized he had saved his fiance. Ironically, Cal invited Jack to dine with members of the first-class the following evening as a thank you, launching Jack and Rose’s love story. Jack’s actions throughout the film reflect his character development as a protagonist, motivated by selflessness and love. His quest was to maintain his relationship with Rose and detach her from her mother’s grip and arranged marriage. However, his tragic flaw was his social class. He was noticeably part of the lower-class, expressed through his unrefined clothing and humble attitude, which provoked Rose’s mother’s disapproval. She and Cal are the antagonists that extensively attempt to break them apart by framing Jack and trying to turn Rose against him.

The heroic and tragic sides of Jack Dawson are portrayed through the main characters who support and oppose him. Rose remains his biggest supporter following Jack’s heroic act of saving her from suicide. She continues to find him on the boat and accept him rather than judge him for his misfortune. She is one of the only main characters to appreciate his bravery and zest for life. After viewing his artwork, she admired him when saying, “You see people.” Unlike her fiance and mother, Rose viewed art as containing “truth without logic.” These scenes were added to show their compatibility and Rose’s depth of character. Another supporting character, Margaret “Molly” Tobin Brown enables us to understand the theme that using social class to determine a person’s character is unreasonable. While not many upper-class passengers who knew Rose and her family enjoyed Jack’s company, Molly did. She was not well-liked by the upper-class women because she was known to have “new money.” Unlike Rose’s mother, when first meeting Jack with the other women, Molly was very open-minded and wanted to seek more information about the man who saved Rose from going overboard. She figured that Jack hadn’t any formal attire to wear to their dinner that night, so she took him to her room and lent him her son’s clothes. She was aware of Jack’s social class, but kept an open mind about his character because she did not grow up with money either. She continues to assist Jack in behaving properly at dinner, and describes his outlook on life as “well-said.” Because of Molly’s acts of kindness, the audience was able to understand that wealth is not the only factor that contributes to one’s personality and compatibility with another. Despite his financial situation, he was a likable man and quickly befriended most people who care to have a conversation with him, such as Thomas Andrews, the shipbuilder, and Tommy Ryan, a fellow third-class passenger. Other characters who seek the approval of Cal and Rose’s mother assist them in working against Jack by making Rose feel guilty and framing him. Cal exposes Jack’s skill of thievery and uses it against him. These characters help the audience recognize the heroic and tragic sides of Jack Dawson. 

Cal, the main antagonist, and Jack, the protagonist, oppose each other due to their similarity. They are both deeply in love with Rose, so every notable action either of them pursue is to win her over. Their differences reside from wealth, but Cal’s arrogance and abusive behavior is what ultimately sets them apart. He cares so much about having Rose to himself that he does not consider her well-being and happiness. However, Jack continuously acts selflessly and only cares about Rose’s happiness. Cal’s abusiveness and toxicity opposes Jack’s bravery and altruism.

Jack’s tragic flaw of affliction due to wealth is overcome when Rose chooses to save Jack while the ship is sinking. She found him on a lower level of the ship and risked her own life to find a way to release him. Cal had then tried to board her onto a lifeboat without Jack, but her refusal was yet another sign of Cal’s defeat. Rose overlooks his social class and chooses Jack over her family and fiance, which point’s toward the story’s comic resolution. This tells us that money cannot buy true love. The sinking of the boat and panic of the passengers expresses the theme that life is priceless regardless of fortune, and everyone is at risk of death no matter their social class. Jack’s selflessness is solidified when he freezes to death in the Atlantic Ocean just so that Rose can survive. There is only space on a floating wall panel for one person to stay afloat, so Jack sacrifices his own life for her safety. But even after the survivors were boarded to another boat, Rose relentlessly shuns Cal and does not go back to her destined life. Jack’s heroic acts relieves her of her life-long burden. Rose informs the audience, “...he saved me, in every way that a person can be saved.” 

The themes of love and devotion and life are priceless regardless of wealth is portrayed throughout the entire film. Jack was a young man who lived in poverty and Rose was a woman who was always forced to follow the guidelines set for her by her mother and others of the upper-class. Upon Jack’s heroic acts and devotion to her happiness, Rose is able to comprehend that fortune does not determine one’s character. They fell in love with each other’s morals and devotion, and continuously fought to release each other from the barriers that social classes intend to maintain. They defeat the antagonist, Cal, when Rose chooses Jack over their arranged marriage. Titanic helps us understand that everyone is destined for death regardless of the amount of money they possess, and love is priceless.