As many of you know, Netflix removed Titanic from its roster May 1. Because I have always had a love for the movie (having seen it for the first time on my thirteenth birthday), I decided to watch it one more time.
This time, with three years of college under my belt, I decided to pay more attention and analyze the movie. In my analysis I found that, even though on the surface Titanic seems to be a typical film wherein the man saves the woman, it is actually a journey of female autonomy. While there are several strong female characters in the movie, Rose is the focal point of the feminist arc.
First of all, Rose is initially a strong character. While she sees no escape from her life as Cal’s china doll, she does not placidly accept it. She is sharp and sarcastic and insists on having things her way. Thus, it's clear that she is going to save herself in whatever way she can, Jack or no Jack.
A great example of this is when Rose and Jack first meet. Rose is standing on the railing at the back of the ship, ready to plunge to her death. Jack, naturally, tries to talk her out of it. Even so, she decides that she wants to live. Jack does not magically succeed against her will. As he says later, she “wouldn’t have jumped.” All she really needed was to see a way out of her marriage to Cal. He offers that. What’s more, when she slips and falls, Jack tells her to pull herself up and only holds her hand to act as a safety line.
Indeed, that is Jack’s function for most of the movie. Rose is strong, smart, and naturally independent. Her need for Jack is purely psychological. If she believed it was possible, she could have saved herself from Cal from the beginning. All Jack does is show her what was inside of her the entire time. Hence, in the end, she alone defies her mother and Cal, spits in his face, and goes to save Jack because she “already knew” he was innocent. In other words, she made a hard decision and executed it independently.
Furthermore, Titanic is sexually progressive. Rose suggests that Jack sketch her in the nude. And she is the one who initiates sex, pulling him into the back of the buggy with her and telling him to put his hands on her (this, as an upper-class woman in 1912). Even more importantly, the only person who berates her for it is Cal, the villain of the film. She is clearly the hero.
Finally, Jack’s death is necessary to the overall feminist arc of the story. He was her safety net. In order for her to become fully liberated, she had to be completely on her own. His death allowed her to make her way in the world, independently accomplishing everything that she set her mind to: riding a horse like a man, becoming an actress, living like a drifter, and eventually having a husband and children—on her own terms, when she was ready.
It is also worth mention that she never sold Cal’s necklace, even though she could have lived comfortably on the funds for the rest of her life. She wanted to live autonomously in a life of her own creation.
This fierce independence lasts into Rose’s old age. Even though her granddaughter, Lizzie, is taking care of her, she is the dominant one in the relationship. This is further proven when she tells Brock to stop interrupting her and listen to her story.
In conclusion, Titanic is not only the story of the love between Rose and Jack, but is also the feminist journey of a woman to independence.
