Gaps between two classes shown in James Cameron’s film Titanic: a critical Marxist approach

“I am the King of the World!” said Jack. As ironic as it is that third-class people utter those words, especially in our society of divisions and dying unity. James Cameron’s Titanic is one of the most successful films to win the Academic Award and considered to be the highest grossing film since its release in 1997. It became a hit with moviegoers due to its cinematography and with the chemistry that oozes between Kate Winslet ( Rose) and Leonardo DiCarpio (Jack) portraying the tragic love story of a rich man and a poor man separated by class. The film shows what happens if our society distinguishes people by their wealth and position. This is evidenced through the characterization of the upper and lower classes and how the gaps affect people and their survival.

84 years have passed since the tragedy occurred. Rose DeWitt Bukater, one of the survivors, discovered that American ocean explorers were looking for details about the famous shipwreck that occurred on the most luxurious passenger ship called the RMS Titanic on April 10, 1912. She knew about the discovery of her painting and meets explorers She then recalled her experiences as an upper-class passenger on the Titanic with her mother, Ruth De Witt Bukater, and her fiancé Caledon Hockley; also, her connection to a third-class passenger, Jack Dawson, who won a ticket to America before the ship even started sailing. There were 1,500 people on the ship, some first class, others restricted to the lower decks where windows were limited. Passengers aboard the Titanic had high hopes, not because it was considered “the unsinkable ship,” but because they were putting their past behind them and preparing for a new life in America. Rose must be a fine and decent lady, but she can’t disagree or share her thoughts. Rose was fed up with the feeling that no one could hear her, until Jack arrived. Jack ultimately saved her from the thought of drowning and loneliness, they enjoyed each other’s company even though being involved seemed like a sin to each other. Jack taught her many things: to be happy and content with little things. Rose adored Jack and couldn’t deny her feelings for him. Her love arose when Rose asked Jack to draw her as one of her “French girls” using only the rarest diamond, the Heart of the Ocean. There was no denying a romantic love story between Jack and Rose, so Cal became jealous of Jack and looked for a way to keep them apart. He was successful. It wasn’t long before the Titanic collided with a large iceberg and began to sink. The boats are not enough to rescue all the people and priority was given to the people first. Rose thought about going back for Jack. As the ship sinks into the depths of the ocean, Jack and Rose must fight death from the freezing water and wait for a rescue ship. They both made it out of the ship, but only Rose survived as Jack froze to death before the rescue boat arrived. Their love story started early but ended sooner than expected. Despite all of that, Rose still treasures all of her memories with him as she throws the “Heart of the Ocean” into the sea.

From the beginning of the story, the gaps between the classes are depicted as Rose exiting the fancy vehicle preparing to climb aboard while Jack, on the other hand, was still gambling and wanting to win the ticket to America with his best friend, Fabrizio. Fortunately, he won. Moving the camera showed the interior of the Titanic. She was too big and elegant to accommodate all the passengers, but since it is divided into classes, the first class passengers were her top priority. They have chaperones around, expensive chandeliers, special gatherings, and people in costumes. Everything on the Titanic seemed special, for first class people, of course. Turning the camera towards the third class area made it look very different. It was nothing special, but for the third-class passengers, the wicker beds and small spaces meant a lot. In the story, Jack and Rose symbolize the two classes, the first class (rich) and the third class (poor), while Ruth and Cal were the forces that keep them apart and the main causes of discrimination. RMS Titanic symbolizes our divided society and the iceberg is the problem. The ship was considered the “unsinkable ship” that transported people full of dreams and hopes of a new life. With that label, the Titanic ironically sank and did not reach her destination. Believing that Jack saved her, Rose doted on him and invited him to dinner with the upper class. Jack was happy to be in a meeting with Rose, but joining the people in suits and ties that define his level of formality and value seemed rather unusual. Jack and Rose left the elegant gathering and left with the group of third-class passengers. It wasn’t great, but the party was livelier and the joy was real. Rose danced and laughed with them and felt happiness that she had never felt before. The film showed that luxury cannot buy true happiness. But since society is harsh and discriminating, Rose was told to warn her attention to Jack because he was only a third class. Her mother, Ruth, hates the idea of ​​Rose being anywhere near third class. Consequently, the two can no longer deny their feelings and Cal, being a rich and manipulative man, put up a ploy to stop her and Jack’s fiancé’s love affair. Jack, on the other hand, can’t do anything because he has no power. The ship hit the iceberg and was about to sink, as well as humility and justice. First class passengers were prioritized, leaving third class passengers locked up waiting their turn. Other passengers were looking for the ship destined for first class even though the ship was about to sink. The ships were not enough but others sailed with few passengers to save the lives of the rich. In the end, from a distance, the saved passengers looked at the “unsinkable ship” and saw many people drowning in the sea. The iceberg was unexpected and she is supposed to sink, but if people were treated fairly and others were not 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 which leads to a society drowning in selfishness. The position of the people determined their survival but we all know that the rich were not only the people who served to live. In the movie, the gaps between classes were demonstrated until the very end.

Titanic was undoubtedly a great story and no one can deny how it captured the hearts of many viewers. It was not only a powerful story of love and survival, but also about the disease of our society: injustice and division. Our society will never prosper or achieve our goals if we continue to divide ourselves and weigh our wealth. Our hopes and dreams will sink to nothing if we never come together. We will not succeed and our journey will end if we continue to discriminate and set limits between us. It is true that problems are inevitable, but if we all join together we can lessen the consequences and face the challenge with all our might. We are all the Kings of the World, we can be the saviors of our nations and lead them to success. The story of Jack and Rose still continues as it remains an eye opener for us to cut through the dividing classes and fill in the gaps with love and humility to have a wonderful journey to success. Have a good trip to our society!