Titanic, a Great Tragedy: Marxist Criticism

By Krishna Guevarra

Being judged would never be fair. Being discriminated would never be fair. Being treated differently would never fair. It would never be fair nor right to be classified depending on your wealth, not even a single thing would be enough to be discriminated. But in the movie "Titanic", directed and written by James Cameron, it is clearly depicted how social class affects life. It has significant impact in the way of living. The movie is about the sinking of Titanic, an Olympic-class passenger liner, and is based on true story. It is mainly about the love of the two passenger, Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater. Through their story, we could witness the huge gap between the first class and the third class and the way they are treated.

Old Rose DeWitt Bukater, 100 years of age, tells the story to her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert, Brock Lovett, Bobby Buell, Lewis Bodine and Anatoly Mikhailovich on the Keldysh about her life set in April 10th, 1912, on a ship called Titanic when young Rose boards the departing ship with the upper-class passengers and her mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater, and her fianc�, Caledon Hockley. At the same time, an artist named Jack Dawson and his best friend Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets to the ship in a game. She narrates her experiences from the departure until the downfall of Titanic on its first and last voyage on the 15th of April 1912.

The titanic is divided into two parties. The lower part is allotted for the poor, the third-class passengers, while the upper part, the deck, is for the rich, the first-class passengers, it is just a concrete portrayal of social discrimination. They are having a so much different living. it primarily conveys how the third-class passengers value happiness while the first-class passengers only think about material things.

"Well, it's for royalty. We are royalty, Rose." says Caledon Hockley when he gave Rose a rare diamond necklace which was called 'Heart of the Ocean'. It is just a simple evidence how big deal for them to be rich, to be royal. They think that being wealthy makes them high as a person and being different and superior to the poor. Being high was really engraved in their brains.

Caledon Hockley is the man that Rose DeWitt Bukater's mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater, wants her to marry, as she wants to save their depreciating family and to maintain their high family status. He is one of the hitch to Jack's and Rose's happy ending, together with Rose's mother and the fact that they are on different classes. Despite of these hitches Rose and Jack still manage to fight for their love.

Jack and Rose take all the chances that they have to be together then suddenly the Titanic hits an iceberg which leads the ship to sink. In this situation, most of the third-class passengers are deprived from getting into the lifeboats in order to survive, as they are locked because of scarcity. 700 first-class passengers, as the 'chosen people', have more chances to get a slot because of their location and especially because of their status. The passengers of the Titanic had their destinies decided through classes.

The author wants to convey how classes determine rights and living. He wanted to show the unending class conflicts, the inequality in the system, and the discrimination that is happening. He wanted to show the world how those who are rich vary from those who are poor, and how unjust it is. Through his masterpiece, the Titanic, he did open people's mind and made them realize the unrighteousness of this. He successfully delivered his message to us and encouraged us to make a change. He is successful to create an extraordinary movie, which is outstanding in every aspect. Cinematography, music, portrayal of the actor and other technicalities perfectly match with the story line. His success does not end with the excellent product but for the accomplishment of his objective, to make people learn something, to know that there is no harmony in a world where royalty and class defines being, and to know that inequality and unfair treatment between the bourgeoisie and proletariat must be corrected.

Article Source:  Titanic, a Great Tragedy: Marxist Criticism