The Titanic's basically a floating melting pot of people from different countries, classes, and social backgrounds. This creates the opportunity for the very well-heeled Rose to meet a poor artist named Jack Dawson.
Many of the ship's richer passengers are total snobs—and, as such, uninterested in interacting with passengers who are different from them in any way. Rose's mother falls into that group, which is why she's not impressed when Rose strikes up a friendship with Jack.
And while basically everything else in the movie is tragic, we do get one big bright side: Jack and Rose prove that actual love and connection is way more important than money or status, and Rose's ultimate ability to break from class and convention is what enables her to live a happy life.
Questions about Society and Class
- What are some early signs that Rose might not be as snobby as her mother and Cal, even before she meets Jack?
- Do you feel kind of bad for Rose's mother at the end of the film? In addition to losing her daughter, she's likely going to lose all of her things and be forced to enter a profession for the first time in her life. Are we supposed to feel bad for her? Why or why not?
- Do you think Cal loses some of his snobbishness by the end of the film? Why or why not?
- What are some forces and influences that "push" the characters to break from class in this film?
Chew on This
Without the random accident of ending up on the same boat, Jack and Rose would never have met, and Rose would never have felt the need to break free from the life that was stifling her.
Love is pretty important in getting Rose and Jack to come together despite the class divide, but really it's Rose's love of art that does the job. She's ready to walk away from Jack and his impertinence until she sees his drawings.