titanic movie essay introduction

Like a great iron Sphinx on the ocean floor, the Titanic faces still toward the West, interrupted forever on its only voyage. We see it in the opening shots of “Titanic,” encrusted with the silt of 85 years; a remote-controlled TV camera snakes its way inside, down corridors and through doorways, showing us staterooms built for millionaires and inherited by crustaceans.

These shots strike precisely the right note; the ship calls from its grave for its story to be told, and if the story is made of showbiz and hype, smoke and mirrors–well, so was the Titanic. She was “the largest moving work of man in all history,” a character boasts, neatly dismissing the Pyramids and the Great Wall. There is a shot of her, early in the film, sweeping majestically beneath the camera from bow to stern, nearly 900 feet long and “unsinkable,” it was claimed, until an iceberg made an irrefutable reply.

James Cameron’s 194-minute, $200 million film of the tragic voyage is in the tradition of the great Hollywood epics. It is flawlessly crafted, intelligently constructed, strongly acted and spellbinding. If its story stays well within the traditional formulas for such pictures, well, you don’t choose the most expensive film ever made as your opportunity to reinvent the wheel.

We know before the movie begins that certain things must happen. We must see the Titanic sail and sink, and be convinced we are looking at a real ship. There must be a human story–probably a romance–involving a few of the passengers. There must be vignettes involving some of the rest and a subplot involving the arrogance and pride of the ship’s builders–and perhaps also their courage and dignity. And there must be a reenactment of the ship’s terrible death throes; it took two and a half hours to sink, so that everyone aboard had time to know what was happening, and to consider their actions.

All of those elements are present in Cameron’s “Titanic,” weighted and balanced like ballast, so that the film always seems in proportion. The ship was made out of models (large and small), visual effects and computer animation. You know intellectually that you’re not looking at a real ocean liner–but the illusion is convincing and seamless. The special effects don’t call inappropriate attention to themselves but get the job done.

The human story involves an 17-year-old woman named Rose DeWitt Bukater ( Kate Winslet ) who is sailing to what she sees as her own personal doom: She has been forced by her penniless mother to become engaged to marry a rich, supercilious snob named Cal Hockley ( Billy Zane ), and so bitterly does she hate this prospect that she tries to kill herself by jumping from the ship. She is saved by Jack Dawson ( Leonardo DiCaprio ), a brash kid from steerage, and of course they will fall in love during the brief time left to them.

The screenplay tells their story in a way that unobtrusively shows off the ship. Jack is invited to join Rose’s party at dinner in the first class dining room, and later, fleeing from Cal’s manservant, Lovejoy ( David Warner ), they find themselves first in the awesome engine room, with pistons as tall as churches, and then at a rousing Irish dance in the crowded steerage. (At one point Rose gives Lovejoy the finger; did young ladies do that in 1912?) Their exploration is intercut with scenes from the command deck, where the captain ( Bernard Hill ) consults with Andrews ( Victor Garber ), the ship’s designer and Ismay ( Jonathan Hyde ), the White Star Line’s managing director.

Ismay wants the ship to break the trans-Atlantic speed record. He is warned that icebergs may have floated into the hazardous northern crossing but is scornful of danger. The Titanic can easily break the speed record but is too massive to turn quickly at high speed; there is an agonizing sequence that almost seems to play in slow motion, as the ship strains and shudders to turn away from an iceberg in its path–and fails.

We understand exactly what is happening at that moment because of an ingenious story technique by Cameron, who frames and explains the entire voyage in a modern story. The opening shots of the real Titanic, we are told, are obtained during an expedition led by Brock Lovett ( Bill Paxton ), an undersea explorer. He seeks precious jewels but finds a nude drawing of a young girl. Meanwhile, an ancient woman sees the drawing on TV and recognizes herself. This is Rose (Gloria Stuart), still alive at 101. She visits Paxton and shares her memories (“I can still smell the fresh paint”). And he shows her video scenes from his explorations, including a computer simulation of the Titanic’s last hours–which doubles as a briefing for the audience. By the time the ship sinks, we already know what is happening and why, and the story can focus on the characters while we effortlessly follow the stages of the Titanic’s sinking.

Movies like this are not merely difficult to make at all, but almost impossible to make well. The technical difficulties are so daunting that it’s a wonder when the filmmakers are also able to bring the drama and history into proportion. I found myself convinced by both the story and the saga. The setup of the love story is fairly routine, but the payoff–how everyone behaves as the ship is sinking–is wonderfully written, as passengers are forced to make impossible choices. Even the villain, played by Zane, reveals a human element at a crucial moment (despite everything, damn it all, he does love the girl).

The image from the Titanic that has haunted me, ever since I first read the story of the great ship, involves the moments right after it sank. The night sea was quiet enough so that cries for help carried easily across the water to the lifeboats, which drew prudently away. Still dressed up in the latest fashions, hundreds froze and drowned. What an extraordinary position to find yourself in after spending all that money for a ticket on an unsinkable ship.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

• Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson
• Kate Winslet as Rose Dewitt Bukater
• Bill Paxton as Brock Lovett
• Kathy Bates as Molly Brown
• Billy Zane as Cal Hockley

Written and Directed by

• James Cameron

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Film Analysis of “Titanic” by James Cameron

Introduction, auteur theory and titanic, production techniques in titanic, the film and society.

Titanic (1997) is an epic film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. Titanic is an epic film that shows a love story in a setting of a great disaster. The story involves a seventeen-year-old Rose who falls in love with Jack, who rescues her. The whole story takes place on board the famous ship. The movie describes Rose’s penniless mother forcing her daughter into a marriage with a rich, supercilious snob Cal. Devastated, Rose attempts suicide and is saved by Jack, who is a traveling artist. Later on, Rose and Jack fall in love, despite being from very different social classes. Rose decides to leave Cal and gets together with Jack, and right at that time, the Titanic crashes into an iceberg. The plot then turns into Rose and Jack’s attempts to save themselves from a sinking ship. Overall, Titanic is a cultural phenomenon and will be further analyzed through the auteur theory. Its production techniques and the movie’s connection with society will be discussed over the course of this essay as well.

Auteur theory is a film theory that states that the director is the author of a film and, therefore, their intentions are what shape the film’s narrative. Auteur theory is a way of analyzing films that focuses on the role of the director in shaping all aspects of a film (Morrison, 2018). This includes what the movie looks like, who plays which roles, and how it ends. To some, it is an ultimate goal to achieve total control over every detail in their movies.

James Cameron is an ultimate example of an auteur director, thus making Titanic a perfect film to analyze through the lens of this theory. Cameron not only directed but also wrote the screenplay, produced, and even co-edited Titanic . The three components of auteur theory are technical competence, different personality, and interior meaning (Morrison, 2018). All three components in Titanic fully demonstrate Cameron’s directing talent.

In terms of technical competence, the film is ahead of its time. The special effects from 1997 can match contemporary easily. The ship is demonstrated in great detail and is nearly a perfect copy of the actual ship. That is one of Cameron’s distinctive touches, that attention to detail. The film is one of the most expensive movies ever made. The director not only wrote the screenplay but also helped with montage and editing, as well as casting choices.

Regarding distinguishable personality, Titanic is a historical fiction where fictional characters cross paths with real ones. It is a “Romeo and Juliette” story on the Titanic, and it works because it makes the storyline relatable. The plot has seven fictional characters, and the rest are real people, demonstrating the incredible amount of historical research done for that movie. The film can relate to the modern audience because of the simplicity of the love story in it. James Cameron is famous for this hands-on approach, and Titanic is a testament to his genius. Auteurs make films that have many layers of hidden meaning. Titanic’s basic layer of meaning is that it is a tragic love story. However, when digging deeper, one can see the social drama and tragedy, explore examples of toxic relationships and discover the life purpose of the heroine. The film’s biggest theme is a social drama, showing classism and gender inequality.

There is a number of specific techniques and design elements employed in the film as they contribute to the overarching narrative and theme of the film. They include elements of mise-en-scène (e.g., lighting, sound, the composition of the frame, costuming, etc.) and editing (e.g., cuts and transitions, shots used, angles, etc.).

The production design of Titanic is incredibly specific and accurate to the time; all the little nuances and touches turn the title character, a ship, into an actual one that the audience cares about. In every other scene, the shot demonstrates the ship, which artfully grabs the viewer’s attention to the details of the Titanic. The composition of the frame also reveals the details in the shot. Especially the moment when Rose is presented with a diamond by Cal, and the shot shows them reflected in the mirror, slowly zooming in. The scene shows how desperate and trapped Rose looks, and the exact opposite for Cal. It is a relatively simple shot, but it makes the storytelling incredibly impactful, demonstrating a clear difference and incompatibility between the characters.

Another design element that contributes to the narrative in Titanic is costume design. At the beginning of the scene, Rose is dressed very similarly to her mother. The heroine has agreed to marry for money and is following a path chosen for her. Throughout the movie, her dresses change and become simpler. When Rose and Jack finally get together, she wears a very simple grey dress, seemingly showing her agreement to become a part of his social status (which is much lower than hers). When Rose is rescued, she wears that simple dress and a man’s coat; she is completely stripped of anything that might identify her class. This shows that the heroine has chosen a path for herself to move forward, and she departs from her old life.

The shots and transitions in the sinking scene demonstrate Cameron at his finest. The director shows how every single detail of the entourage on the ship is destroyed. It is followed by the close of the characters, and their emotions make the scene more powerful. Moreover, the story turns the ship from a simple exterior into a character of the film. In the scene where the head engineer apologizes to the main characters, the shot is angled to demonstrate that the boat is sinking. The apology is made for not building a stronger ship, which gives the boat a voice, thus turning it into a character. It is not the engineer apologizing; it is the ship apologizing, which makes the sinking scene much more powerful.

Titanic presents three main issues: classism, sex, and gender inequality. The main characters are from different social classes, which causes the majority of problems. Throughout the story, Titanic skillfully demonstrates classism, where characters from different classes are treated very differently. When saving of upper-class passengers was extremely different from the lower-class ones, to the point where it caused the loss of many lives. Another social problem in the film is gender inequality, where Rose is not allowed to make her own choices and is patronized by Cal. The film raises very deep social questions that are still relevant today.

James Cameron is an example of an auteur director; he directed, wrote the screenplay, produced, and even co-edited Titanic . This gave him an opportunity to fully control the filmmaking process resulting in a masterpiece. One of Cameron’s unique touches is omnipresent attention to detail, which makes the film stand out. The film uses visualization and design techniques that emphasize the characters’ journey. Titanic is a social phenomenon that demonstrates the highest skills in acting and directing and presents contemporary social problems that did not lose their relevance even now.

Morrison, J. (2018). Auteur theory and my son John . Bloomsbury.

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• Titanic - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

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Titanic , American romantic adventure film , released in 1997, that centers on the sinking of the RMS Titanic . The film proved immensely popular, holding the all-time box-office gross record for more than a decade after its release.

The film begins with the robotic exploration of the Titanic ’s wreckage by treasure hunters who hope to locate a fabled massive blue diamond, known as the Heart of the Ocean, that was supposedly lost when the ship sank. They recover a safe that contains some papers, including a drawing of a nude woman wearing a necklace with the gem in it. After the illustration is aired on television, the team is contacted by an old woman (played by Gloria Stuart) who tells them that she is the one depicted in the drawing, Rose DeWitt Bukater, thought to have died in the accident. Hoping that she can help them find the jewel, the treasure hunters bring Rose to their expedition ship. Most of the film’s story is then told in flashbacks as she recounts the Titanic ’s fateful 1912 voyage.

Upper-class Rose (now played by Kate Winslet ) boards the ship with her mother (Frances Fisher) and her well-to-do fiancé, Cal ( Billy Zane), whom she is marrying for financial reasons. Distraught by the pressure of her arranged marriage, Rose contemplates suicide on the ship’s stern. She is talked down by third-class passenger Jack Dawson ( Leonardo DiCaprio ), a handsome but penniless artist. Over the course of the voyage, she becomes increasingly attracted to Jack. Meeting in secret, Rose asks him to draw her wearing the Heart of the Ocean necklace, which was a gift from Cal. Rose and Jack subsequently make love, and Rose tells Jack that she will go with him once the ship docks. Later that night, however, they witness the Titanic ’s fatal impact with an iceberg.

• Studios: Twentieth Century-Fox , Paramount Pictures , and Lightstorm Entertainment
• Director and writer: James Cameron
• Producers: James Cameron and Jon Landau
• Music: James Horner
• Running time: 194 minutes
• Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson)
• Kate Winslet (Rose DeWitt Bukater)
• Billy Zane (Caledon [Cal] Hockley)
• Kathy Bates (Molly Brown)
• Gloria Stuart (Old Rose)
• Lead actress (Kate Winslet)
• Supporting actress (Gloria Stuart)
• Art direction*
• Cinematography*
• Costume design*
• Film editing*
• Original dramatic score*
• Original song (“My Heart Will Go On”)*
• Sound effects editing*
• Visual effects*

(* denotes win)

As the ship begins to sink, the couple seeks out Rose’s mother and Cal, who has discovered Rose’s romantic entanglement. He frames Jack for theft by having the necklace placed in Jack’s coat pocket. Jack is arrested, and Cal later puts the necklace in his own pocket. Though she initially hesitates, Rose comes to believe Jack’s claims of innocence, and she eventually finds him in the master-of-arms’ office, handcuffed around a pipe. Using an axe, she is able to free him as water floods the room. The lower-deck gates are locked, but Jack helps break down the one trapping them. He and Rose return to the upper deck, where Rose is placed in a lifeboat by Cal, who wraps his jacket around her—still containing the necklace. Cal lies to her, saying Jack will be able to leave the Titanic safely, but she refuses to leave Jack behind and jumps back onto the ship. Cal chases them in a jealous rage but eventually gives up to board a lifeboat, using a crying child as an excuse for passage. Rose and Jack are left on the ship as it breaks apart and sinks, the lifeboats having all been launched. Jack helps Rose onto a floating piece of the wreckage so that she can later be rescued by a returning lifeboat, while he himself dies of hypothermia . Onboard the Carpathia , the ship that rescued Titanic ’s survivors, she adopts the name “Rose Dawson” and discovers the necklace in Cal’s jacket. The film returns to the present day, and centenarian Rose is revealed to still have the jewel in her possession. Her story told, she drops the famous necklace into the ocean.

Though much of the film’s plot deals with the fictional romance between Rose and Jack, writer/director James Cameron put a great deal of work into the historical accuracy of the sets and story. Many real-life figures are featured throughout the film, including Capt. Edward J. Smith (Bernard Hill), J. Bruce Ismay (Jonathan Hyde), and “Unsinkable” Molly Brown ( Kathy Bates ), and actual underwater footage of the wreck was used for the opening scenes. Cameron himself went on several dives to explore the sunken ship, and he designed an almost-to-scale replica of the Titanic for the film’s production. At the time of its production, Titanic was the most expensive film ever made, costing some $200 million. However, it recouped its expenses several times over. The film was somewhat of a phenomenon, especially among teenage girls and young women enamored with DiCaprio, and the media widely reported on instances of individuals seeing the movie dozens of times in the theater.

Titanic was nominated for 14 Academy Awards , tying the record set by All About Eve (1950), and it won 11, equaling the record set by Ben-Hur (1959), which was later matched by Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). In addition to winning Oscars for best picture and director, Titanic also received an Academy Award for the song “My Heart Will Go On,” performed by Céline Dion . A 3-D version of the film was released in 2012, shortly before the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.

Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Titanic — The Enduring Impact of Titanic: Themes, Characters, and Narrative

The Enduring Impact of Titanic: Themes, Characters, and Narrative

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Published: Feb 12, 2024

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The film titanic, the characters in titanic, the engaging narrative structure of titanic.

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Social Inequality in James Cameron’s Titanic Film Essay

Introduction, the lens of social inequality, social divide, gender inequality, works cited.

Inequality is one of the problems of modern society, the struggle against which has been ongoing for many years and has only recently intensified. It may have different causes – ethnic, gender, social, or financial – but regardless of them, it must be defeated and eliminated in the process of the further development of civilization. Examples of this problem resonate in the works of various authors, from books to feature films.

This paper examines the film Titanic , directed by James Cameron, released on the big screen in 1997. This work not only describes the widely known tragedy of the sinking of the ocean liner but also describes the complexities of social relationships of those times. It reveals the profound problem of the gap between social classes. It draws parallels between the experiences and roles of the various strata of society and their survival in life, and the film’s message captures the essence of the problems of inequality in society.

In this case, the Lens of Social Inequality implies a specific approach to analyzing the primary source to identify social connections, roles, and dependencies. The focus is on the disadvantage of people or social groups who are different from the mainstream or who constitute a minority. In the film, people from different social classes show different levels of privilege, opportunity, and the attitudes of those around them (Sparkes). Through this lens, the main character, Jack, can be seen not as a third-class passenger but as a member of one of the lowest classes present on an ocean liner.

Through this analysis, the contemptuous and demeaning attitude of wealthy white first-class passengers toward those they consider inferior becomes apparent. One such high social-status passenger does not even consider Jack a human being: “You’re an Irish street rat.” (Cameron). The only exception is the second main character, Rose, who is also a first-class passenger but shows leniency and a good attitude. However, this attitude is due to her personal feelings for the main character, and the difficulties of their relationship are largely caused by the obvious gap that is observed between the working class and the business class (Sartika and Arianto 50). Thus, the lens of social inequality helps to define the layered society in the film and helps to highlight the characteristics and dependencies between these classes.

A major disconnect becomes evident when one considers the class affiliation of passengers and crew. Even the ship’s crew members are divided into gradations, and while being a captain or chief officer is prestigious, the important work of machinists or bilge workers is usually overlooked, ignored, or belittled (Cameron). Living conditions also differ dramatically – first-class travelers travel in luxurious conditions, occupying a disproportionate amount of space in their suites, restaurants, and recreational facilities (Sparkes). The second class travels in relatively acceptable conditions, while the third class has cramped and dirty quarters, poor food, and a lack of access to utilities.

Through the lens of social inequality, the film’s main event, the crash, is also worth examining. The chances of survival also depended directly on the passenger’s position in society – the priority of access to lifeboats for the first class is emphasized by the insufficient number of such lifeboats themselves (Sparkes). That is, when tickets were sold to the lowest class of passengers, they were considered a bargaining chip and did not pay attention to their safety. An outraged third-class passenger exclaims: “We could have made it if they’d only let us on the boats!” (Cameron). The value of the people whose labor ensures and maintains the wealth of the upper class is minimal. Another detail is the orchestra playing to the last – the attendants are also of no interest to the wealthy passengers. Moreover, on closer inspection, the reason for this game may lie not so much in a desire to ward off panic as in understanding their small chances on the part of the musicians themselves.

In some ways, the liner notes can be perceived as a scaled-down copy of the time society of the events described in the piece. The wealthy occupy their time exclusively with revelry and recreation, enjoying many advantages and life. The lower classes are forced to work hard to earn their own survival. This rigid distinction was probably the norm during the Titanic times. However, even today, poverty and social inequality are the scourge of society, contributing to the prominence and elevation of only a small percentage of people.

Social inequality also includes the gender issue, which was very acute in the times described in the film. This problem is still observed today and is most prominent in strict religious communities and traditional cultures (Nadal et al. 2). Its essence most often lies in the role assigned to women in a patriarchal and conservative society: a woman’s own opinion, desire or aspiration is positioned as secondary if it is paid attention to at all. Women’s social and physical mobility was largely restricted, and they were expected to be passive and subservient to men. An example of this is Rose, who is engaged to a wealthy businessman beyond her will (Cameron). Her presentation as a thing, the property of her future husband, emphasizes the disrespect and lack of equality toward women.

Rose’s challenge to society in the form of her fiancé and fellow travelers is an attempt to counteract inequality in two ways simultaneously. Communicating and even paying attention to one who, in her society’s opinion, has no right to be called a human is censured. Rose’s attempt to determine her own destiny and role as a woman in society is also not understood in her social circle. However, her confidence in her actions and willingness to go all the way is further emphasized by one of the film’s most famous phrases when she holds Jack’s hand after the crash: “I’ll never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go” (Cameron). Despite the sad ending, Rose herself still has the opportunity to fight social inequality in the future.

Thus, the thesis of the director’s revelation of the problem of social inequality in the legendary and controversial film Titanic is confirmed. Sharp differences in the characters’ lifestyles and personal experiences are portrayed to demonstrate the roles of each class in society at the time and the different opportunities to overcome difficulties. Moreover, this work of fiction is a reminder of the importance of justice and equality, drawing the audience’s attention to the deficiencies that still exist in contemporary society. Many themes concerning gender and racial inequalities are still relevant today, and the struggle to eradicate them is on the list of sustainable development objectives for all spheres of civilized human political, economic, and social life.

Cameron, James. Titanic . Paramount Pictures, 1997.

Nadal, Kevin L., et al. “The Legacies of Systemic and Internalized Oppression: Experiences of Microaggressions, Imposter Phenomenon, and Stereotype Threat on Historically Marginalized Groups.” New Ideas in Psychology , vol. 63, no. 100895, 2021, pp. 1–9, Web.

Sartika, Icha, and Tomi Arianto. “Race, Milieu, and Moment in ‘Titanic’ by James Cameron: Historical Approach.” EScience Humanity Journal , vol. 2, no. 1, 2022, pp. 47–52, Web.

Sparkes, Daryl. “ Titanic at 25: Like the Ship Itself, James Cameron’s Film Is a Bit of a Wreck .” The Conversation , Web.

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by James Cameron

• Titanic Summary

The film opens with images of the Titanic ’s departure from Southampton in April, 1912. In the present day, treasure hunter Brock Lovett leads a team of submersibles down into the Titanic’s wreck. He finds a safe containing a drawing of a nude woman wearing a necklace he is seeking, called “the Heart of the Ocean.” Brock receives a phone call from a 101-year old woman claiming to be the subject of the drawing, and he flies her out to his research vessel to hear her story.

Named Rose Dewitt Bukater, she explains to Brock and his team that she had boarded the Titanic in Southampton with her fiancé, Cal Hockley , and her mother Ruth. Thus begins the flashback which will be most of the film's narrative. We see Jack Dawson , the penniless artist with whom she will soon fall in love, winning tickets for the Titanic 's voyage in a lucky round of poker in a nearby pub, and he boards the ship at the last minute. Rose describes the Titanic as “slave ship,” given how suffocated and unhappy she feels as Cal’s wife-to-be. After the ship departs from the harbor, Jack and his friend Fabrizio ecstatically rejoice at the ship’s bow. Rose dines in first class with other members of the upper crust, including Molly Brown , the shipbuilder Thomas Andrews, and White Star Line executive J. Bruce Ismay. Rose especially resents her mother and Cal’s controlling natures, and Ismay’s arrogance when describing the Titanic .

That night, Rose is about to commit suicide by hurling herself from the ship’s stern, when Jack happens upon her and convinces her to step back over the railing by saying he will jump in after her. White Star Line officials initially think Jack has attacked her, but Rose improvises a lie to exonerate Jack and conceal the motives behind her own behavior. Rose convinces Cal to invite Jack to dinner the following night. The next day, Rose strolls the deck with Jack, thanking him for his discretion. Initially shocked by his bluntness, Rose warms to Jack, especially impressed by his drawings. Molly lends Jack a tuxedo to wear to dinner in first class, where Jack charms the well-to-do with his carpe diem philosophies—all except for Rose's mother Ruth. After dinner, Jack secretly invites Rose to a raucous party below deck, where she drinks, dances, and feels liberated in the company of regular people.

The following morning at breakfast, after being informed of Rose’s behavior by his valet Lovejoy, Cal furiously scolds Rose. Ruth forbids Rose from seeing Jack again, reminding her that her marriage to Cal is crucial for remedying their family's precarious financial state. Jack tries to visit Rose in church, but is restrained by Lovejoy. Later that day, Rose strolls the decks with Thomas Andrews, noting that the ship only has lifeboats for half its passengers. Jack pulls Rose into a gym room and delivers an impassioned speech, worried that marrying Cal will extinguish the “fire” within her, but Rose tells him not to contact her anymore.

Later at sunset, Jack is standing at the bow of the ship when Rose approaches, saying she has changed her mind. Jack lifts her onto the railing, instructing her to close her eyes and spread her arms, and the two kiss. Rose invites Jack back to her first class cabin while Cal is at the smoking lounge, and asks him to draw her wearing only the Heart of the Ocean, which she retrieves from Cal’s safe. Jack draws her, and the two are later interrupted by Lovejoy. Jack and Rose sneak out the back entrance, and Lovejoy pursues them below deck. They run through the boiler room and wind up in a cargo area holding automobiles. They make love in one of the cars, and reemerge laughing on the ship’s deck, just as the ship is about to make contact with an iceberg.

The ship's lookouts ring the captain, and all over the Titanic , crew members work to throw the ship’s engines into reverse, to no avail. The ship collides with the iceberg, and Rose brings Jack with her to notify her mother and Cal about the collision, but Lovejoy and Cal frame Jack for stealing the Heart of the Ocean, and order the master-at-arms to arrest him. Below deck, alarmed third-class passengers see their cabins begin to flood, as above them, first class passengers remain largely oblivious to the severity of the accident. Thomas Andrews explains to Captain Smith, J. Bruce Ismay, and chief officer William Murdoch that the ship will sink in a matter of hours.

Rose shocks Cal and her mother by refusing to board a lifeboat, and instead goes searching for Jack, who has been handcuffed below deck under Lovejoy's charge. Thomas Andrews gives her directions through the crewman's passage to the rapidly flooding D-deck, where Rose finds Jack chained to a pipe. After failing to find a key, Rose runs through C-deck and finds an axe. She miraculously chops through Jack's handcuffs, and the two escape D-deck together. In C-deck, Jack helps the third-class passengers uproot a bench and ram through a gate preventing them from ascending to the upper levels.

Cal retrieves the Heart of the Ocean from his safe and stashes it in his coat. He finds Rose and Jack, and unwittingly gives Rose his coat with the diamond. He and Jack jointly convince Rose to board a lifeboat. Rose watches Jack as she descends, then leaps back aboard the sinking ship. Rose reunites with Jack, telling him, "You jump, I jump, right?" Enraged and jealous, Cal steals Lovejoy's gun and fires at Rose and Jack, sending them fleeing back down into the lower decks. He then realizes that Rose now has the Heart of the Ocean. Below deck again, Jack and Rose find a small child and try to rescue him, before being swept up in a current flooding the ship. They barely manage to escape the depths of the ship after Jack retrieves a pair of keys dropped by a fleeing White Star Line attendant.

Jack and Rose pass Thomas Andrews in the dining area, and he apologizes to Rose for not building a better ship. On deck, the ship's band plays while anarchy breaks loose. Cal finds a small, lost child and cynically uses her to board a lifeboat. William Murdoch, overwhelmed by managing the lifeboat triage, accidentally kills a passenger and then commits suicide. Captain Smith steps into the wheelhouse as it floods, killing him instantly. As the ship sinks by the bow, Jack and Rose run to the stern. The ship eventually snaps in half, and the front half sinks. Jack and Rose cling to the railing of the stern as the back half of the ship rises vertically into the air. Jack tells Rose to hold her breath as they finally go under.

Jack guides Rose to a piece of debris that she can use to stay afloat. Molly tries convincing the other people in her lifeboat to turn around and look for survivors, but is overruled. Jack makes Rose promise she will survive, and dies before the first lifeboat returns. Rose blows on a whistle to call the lifeboat, and is taken with the other survivors aboard the Carpathia the following morning. She registers the next day as "Rose Dawson" upon arriving in the United States. In the present day, Rose explains to Brock and the others that Jack saved her every way a person can be saved, and that Cal killed himself after the stock market crash in 1929. That night, Rose drops the Heart of the Ocean back into the sea. She goes to sleep and dreams she is back on the Titanic , kissing Jack, surrounded by smiling faces.

Titanic Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Titanic is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

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how does the main character solve the problem?

Are you referring to Titanic? The problem isn't solved. The ship sinks: main characters die.

What is the central idea of Below Deck: A Titanic Story?

Author please?

Study Guide for Titanic

Titanic study guide contains a biography of James Cameron, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Titanic
• Character List
• Director's Influence

Wikipedia Entries for Titanic

• Introduction