Titanic and Segregation

The movie Titanic, staring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack and Kate Winslet as Rose, was released on December 19, 1997. Fictionally written, the movie was based off of true events of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The movie begins with a mere flashback of the ship’s underwater wreckage as a crew searches for a necklace, called the “Heart of the Ocean” that was once aboard the ship. Explorers did not find the diamond-set necklace; however, they found a sketch of a nude woman wearing the necklace that dated back to April 14, 1912, which was the same night the Titanic sank due to hitting an iceberg. Rose, now being 100 years old, contacted the crew and informed them that she was the one in the drawing. Rose recalls her memories while aboard the Titanic and takes the team of underwater explorers through her journey.
Rose, her mother, and her fiancé boarded the Titanic. Appearing as upper-class, Rose and her mother actually suffered financial troubles. Her mother stressed the importance of the wedding in order to gain back financial ground. Rose abhorred the thought of marriage to her fiancé, Cal, and attempted suicide by jumping from the front of the ship. Before she leaped, an artist aboard the ship named Jack interfered with her suicidal intentions. Cal blamed Jack for raping Rose even when she proceeded to explain that he saved her life. She began to ignore Cal and soon fell in love with Jack, even though he was considered socially beneath her. Rose and Jack developed an intimate relationship as they skipped to and fro repeatedly from the first-class deck to the third-class deck, from her world to his.
The secret love relationship between Rose and Jack deepened and Cal prohibited Rose from ever seeing Jack again. Rose rebelled against Cal’s wishes and snuck to see Jack at the bow of the ship. Rose opened up to Jack as she wished him to sketch her wearing Cal’s engagement present, the Heart of the Ocean necklace. After they escaped together, Rose made plans to leave with Jack once the ship had docked. During this, both of them witnessed the ships collision with an iceberg and decided to warn Rose’s mother and Cal. Jack was stopped by some of Cal’s friends and was handcuffed to a pipe in the lower deck. Meanwhile, the ship’s puncture from the iceberg caused severe flooding and the boat began to sink. Rose ran away from her family as they were anxiously waiting to get on a lifeboat and flee to safety. She treaded through water to the lower cabin to find Jack and freed him with an ax. Rose and Jack returned to the boat deck and found all of the safety boats were reserved for only first-class passengers. Cal tried to pull Rose to safety but she realized that she could not leave jack behind. All of the lifeboats were taken, which left the third-class on the ship to die. As the ship sank and they were washed into the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean, Jack told Rose she will live a long, happy life and slowly froze to death. She unhappily accepted their fate as she was rescued to safety. Rose completed her story to the crew men and dropped the Heart of the Ocean necklace into the depth of the ocean. Thinking about Jack, Rose died in her sleep.
Spread among seven decks, the passengers aboard the Titanic were separated according to their class. The most affluent passengers aboard were on the upper levels and the people of lower status were below them in the lowest vicinity of the ship. The film perfectly describes the role of class segregation by showing the differences between the first and third class. Rose, evidently enough, was aboard as a first-class passenger and was treated like a queen as she was on the upper levels of the ship. Jack, as a third-class traveler, was grateful he was even aboard this ship, although he experienced no special treatment during his stay.
The first-class had luxurious amenities which included eating in elegant dining-rooms, designated smoking-rooms, and upscale lounges. The designer clothing and opulent jewels set them apart from others. The upper-class had ideal luxury only because of their social ranking in society. Third-class passengers were secluded on only the lower decks of the ship and were prohibited from any access to the upper cabins. They dressed in clothing that mimicked their everyday lifestyles. The lower class was segregated simply because they were not considered worthy of special attention. The distinctions were extremely evident when determining who was from which social class.
The film created many different stereotypes of the social classes aboard the ship. The lighting throughout the film labeled the contrast of living conditions between the two. The first-class tenants were always shown in a cold light with having very flat emotions that portrayed one to be stuck-up. The third-class lodgers were shown in warm tones and dim lighting, always dancing around and singing. The two distinct atmospheres set the mood of this movie and shows the issue of class segregation.
The movie showed that the wealthy were empowered over the poor, lower classes. This empowerment was continually supported through actions of ship’s staff; they, too, were in awe of their riches. As the ship was sinking, the lower class was locked away from accessing the upper deck in order to seek safety. They simply had no ranking or pull when it came to saving their own lives.
The passionate relationship between Rose and Jack broke the class segregation boundaries. They loved each other unconditionally regardless of their individual status ranking. The separation between each social class was very apparent because of the differences in lifestyles. I believe that the upper-class lived in extreme privileged circumstances, bordering on snobbery. They treated those of the lower working class like animals, not worthy of notice or association. The conditions illustrated throughout the movie were not limited to those aboard the Titanic. There were the very wealthy and the extreme poor (many times were immigrants) in everyday life. During this era, segregation was generally accepted and enforced. Nowadays, even though there are the wealthy and the poor, rules of segregation have lessened and the population no longer insists on class distinctions.