Gaps Between Two Classes Shown in the Titanic Movie by James Cameron: A Marxist Criticism Approach

By Carla B Basilla

"I am the King of the World!," said Jack. Ironic as it is, having the third-class utter those words especially in our society of divisions and dying unity. Titanic by James Cameron is one of the most successful Academic Award-winning film and considered as the highest-grossing film since its release in 1997. It became a hit among viewers because of its cinematography and with the oozing chemistry between Kate Winslet (Rose) and Leonardo DiCarpio (Jack) portraying the tragic love story of a wealthy and a poor being separated by classes. The movie renders what happens if our society distinguishes people by their wealth and position. This is made evident through characterization of upper and lower classes and how the gaps affect the people and their survival.

It has been 84 years since the tragedy happened. Rose DeWitt Bukater, one of the survivors found out that American oceanic explorers were looking for details about the famous shipwreck that happened on the most luxurious passenger ship called RMS Titanic on April 10, 1912. She knew about the discovery of her painting and meets with the explorers. She then reminisced her experiences of being an upper class passenger of Titanic with her mother, Ruth De Witt Bukater and her fiance Caledon Hockley; also, her connection with a third-class passenger, Jack Dawson, who won a ticket to America before the ship started to sail. 1500 people were on the ship, some first class, others restrained to the lower decks where windows were limited. The passengers on board the Titanic held high hopes, not because it was deemed "the unsinkable ship" but because they were leaving their past behind them and preparing for a new life in America. Told to be a fine and decent lady, Rose cannot disagree nor share her thoughts. Rose was sick of the feeling that no one can hear her, until Jack came. Jack finally saved her from the thought of drowning herself and from the loneliness.They enjoyed each other's company even though being involved with each other seemed like a sin for others. Jack taught her many things: to be happy and contented with just small things. Rose adored Jack and couldn't deny her feelings for him. Their love arose when Rose asked Jack to draw her like one of his "french girls" wearing only the rarest diamond, the Heart of the Ocean. A romantic love affair between Jack and Rose couldn't be denied so Cal became jealous of Jack and searched for a way to keep them apart. He succeeded. It didn't take long when the Titanic then collides with a large iceberg and begins to sink. The boats aren't enough to rescue all the people and first-class people were prioritized. Rose thought of coming back for Jack. As the ship lowers itself into the depths of the ocean, Jack and Rose must fight death of the freezing water and await a rescue ship. They both got out of the ship but only Rose survived when Jack froze to death before the rescue boat came. Their love story started early but ended sooner than expected. Despite all that, Rose still cherish all the memories with him as she throws the "Heart of the Ocean" into the sea.

Since the beginning of the story, gaps between classes are depicted when Rose came out of the fancy vehicle preparing to go aboard while Jack, on the other hand, was still betting and wanting to win the ticket to America with her best friend, Fabrizio. Luckily, he won .Roaming the camera around showed the indoors of Titanic. It was too large and too fancy to accommodate all the passengers but since it is divided into classes, first-class passengers were their top priority. They have chaperone around the vicinity, expensive chandeliers, special gatherings and people in fancy dresses. Everything at Titanic seemed special, for first-class people, of course. Turning the camera on the third-class area made a lot different. It was nothing special but for third-class passengers, rattan beds and small spaces meant a lot. In the story, Jack and Rose symbolize the two classes, first-class (wealthy) and the third-class (poor) while Ruth and Cal were the forces that keep the two apart and main causes of discrimination. RMS Titanic symbolizes our society with divisions and the iceberg is the problem. The ship was deemed the "unsinkable ship" carrying the people filled with dreams and hopes for a new life. Having that label, Titanic ironically sank and didn't reach its destination. Believing that Jack saved her, Rose adored him and invited him for a dinner with the upper-class. Jack was happy to be in a gathering with Rose but joining the people in suits and ties that define their level of formality and their worth seemed quite unusual. Jack and Rose ditched the fancy gathering and goes with the party of the third-class passengers. It wasn't grand but the party was livelier and joy was true. Rose danced and giggled with them and felt the happiness that she never felt before. The movie showed that luxury cannot buy real happiness. But as the society is harsh and discriminating, Rose was told to avert her attention to Jack because he was just a third-class. Her mother Ruth, hates the thought of Rose being close to the third class. Consequently, the two cannot deny their feelings anymore and Cal being a wealthy and manipulative man, put a ploy to stop the love affair of her fiance and Jack. Jack, on the other hand, cannot do anything because he was powerless. The ship hit the iceberg and was about to sink, so as the humility and justice. The first-class passengers were prioritized, leaving the third class passengers locked and waiting for their turn. Other passengers were looking for the boat meant for first-class even though the ship was about to sink. The boats weren't enough but others sailed in few number of passenger in order to save the lives of the wealthy. In the end, from a distance, the saved passengers looked upon the "unsinkable ship" seeing many people drown into the sea. The iceberg was unexpected and sinking is surmised but if only people were treated fairly and others weren't selfish, many could have been saved and many dreams could have been pursued. The theme of the story is that differences in societies create gaps and gaps create inequity leading to a society drowning in selfishness. The position of the people determined their survival but we all know that rich ones weren't only the people deserving to live. In the movie, gaps between classes were demonstrated up to the very end.

Titanic was indeed a great story and no one could deny how it captured the hearts of many viewers. It wasn't only a powerful story of love and survival but also about the illness of our society-unfairness and division. Our society will never flourish and achieve our goals if we keep on dividing ourselves and weighing our wealth. Our dreams and hopes will just sank into nothing if we never unite. We will not triumph and our journey will end if we keep on discriminating and putting boundaries between each other. It is true that problems are inevitable, but if we are joined-up altogether, we can lessen the consequences and face the challenge whole-heartedly. We are all the Kings of the World, we can be the savior of our nations and lead to success. The story of Jack and Rose still goes on as it continues to be an eye-opener for us to cut off the dividing classes and to fill in the gaps with love and humility in order to have a wonderful journey towards success. Bon voyage to our society!

Article Source:  Gaps Between Two Classes Shown in the Titanic Movie by James Cameron: A Marxist Criticism Approach