The Portrayal of Women in the Film Titanic - Movie Review Example

The Portrayal of Women in the Film Titanic The Portrayal of Women in the Film Titanic Women today possess various traits that serve the society both in positive and negative ways. Though some women have traits that are against the societal norms and expectations, most women are always a voice of reason. Their traits such as loving, caring and passionate are dominant in most communities. The situation is not different in the Northern America where women have different and varying features that range from being caring to selfish and manipulative. Through the famous and captivating movie, The Titanic, audience worldwide are given an insight of the varying traits of women in the North American societies. All these are achieved through various styles such as a third party narration and fiction. In an attempt to reveal the traits of women in the society, The Titanic also features a general view on women in North American societies in terms of class, race, sexuality, and gender. The movie Titanic portrays women as manipulative. This character that is often evident when women try to achieve their self-interest by maintaining power and control over others. This character trait is evident in Titanic when Ruth, Rose’s mother, manipulates her daughter. She convinces her daughter to date Cal, a wealthy young man. Though Rose is hesitant and unwilling to date Cal, her mother forces her into the relationship (Cameron, 2012). Furthermore, a relationship with Cal would help her mother offset the huge debts her husband left. Ruth is willing to compromise her daughter`s happiness for financial benefit. This incidence also reveals the portrayal of women in this society as objects that can be used for one’s benefit. Additionally, the women in this society do not seem to have a voice, which they can use to stand against such injustices as being married off to someone they do not love just for materialistic gains. Besides, Titanic brings out women as loving and caring. Thus, women are ready and willing to do anything for their loved ones. They offer unconditional love and are not ashamed to express or talk about their feelings openly. Additionally, women can go out of their comfort zone just for the sake of showing love and affection to their lovers. In the movie, Rose leaves first-class crew for third class in order to be with Jack the man she loved and cherished so much (Cameron, 2012). She also strips naked in order to impress Jack since she learned that he only draws photos of nude ladies. Moreover, Rose cares so much about Jack enough to jump out of the boat and return to the ship for Jack. From these examples, it is clear that women in this society thinks of themselves less than they do for men. The social norms of the society that renders women inferior has made them believe that they are not worth much as compared to men (Rotman, 2006). Thus, they are ready to die just to please men in their lives, which gives the assumption that the male gender is superior and better than the female gender. Additionally, the fact that Jack paints only nude photos of women shows a great degree of sexual and body objectification of women in the North American society. The movie exposes the rigid class system, as evident from the different classes portrayed in the movie. Notably, from the film, North America is a highly segregated society with a visible distinction between the rich and the poor. For instance, the rich offered luxurious life and special treatment whereas the poor are subjected to substandard treatment. The film shows second-class passengers eagerly waiting to board the ship at the shore while the first-class passengers are dropped by classy cars and given special escort to the vessel. Furthermore, the first-class passengers are directly admitted into the ship through the main deck with their luggage carried by the staff. Conversely, the second passengers pass through a series of medical checks. In addition, these passengers have to wait for admission of all first-class passengers before they enter the boat through the steerage entrance. This class segregation in the ships reflects the exact class difference among North Americans. Likewise, the producer of Titanic exposes the social rot and the racial segregation in North America. Some passengers in the ship are denied help at the crucial moment when the ship is about to sink since they cannot speak fluent English. According to the movie, the superior race is determined by the ability to speak English. This action validates Hucles, Hudgins, and Gamble’s claim that people of inferior races face discrimination. The movie Titanic is an accurate reflection of the imperfect lives and social ills in the Northern America. This entertaining and informative piece of art expresses a unique story that is both captivating and sad. The movie gives the audience an insight of the characters of women from the past decades. Audience can relate these traits to the current population in an attempt to draw a comparison. In addition, the major themes of class difference and racism are significant to the current society in several ways. The present generation can learn that these social ills have been in existence, and it is high time they deal with then. Ignorance of such acts and the fear to face them head on are the reason the community is still suffering to date. With a better knowledge of the genesis of these problems through Titanic, is the onset of the solution strategy. The society must keenly analyze this movie and come up with relevant ways of solving this problem. In conclusion, the movie brings out a clear picture of the various traits of women in the North America. The author reveals features such as loving, caring, manipulative and selfish through the characters of Rose and Ruth. The use of different styles, the producer manages to bring to the audience attention the various themes in the movie that is culture, class difference, gender, and racism. This video serves to inform that current population that social ills in the society are traced back to the past decades in the North America. The present generation should use this movie to condemn social ills and preach equality among the community members. Racism, class segregation and gender inequality are the current social problems that should be eliminated to achieve peaceful coexistence in the society. Reflection James Cameron successfully explores various themes in North American society and shapes the audience perception towards these people especially on gender and sexuality. I believe he achieves this through effective use literary and narration styles such as fiction, third party narration, and acting. For example, the director of the movie takes a third party narration through Rose, who is one of the survivors of the worst ever cruise disasters. Rose narrates what happened throughout the film to the audience. Use of fiction in the film is illustrated by the romance of Jack and Rose. According to the article Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, it is important to use fiction in films to explore important subject matter. Hence, the producer adopts this style to highlight the social condition in North America regarding class and gender. Finally, James adopts acting to bring out the society perception of sexuality. According to the article Film Review: Titanic, Jack and Rose, who are unmarried play sex in a car in the ship,. This act shows the North Americans do not view sex as sacred. The events in the film are not unique to the North American society. This movie and the portrayal of sex, gender, women’s roles, class, and race in the society makes me reflect on the issues of domestication of women and societal norms that traditionally restricted women from certain activities. Arguably, from the movie, women are limited to sexual and domestic roles in the society, as they are barely in the professional roles among other important positions in the society. Based on a true story, the movie is essential for understanding the history and developments in gender roles, class, and racism. References Cameron, J. (2012). James Cameron’s Titanic. HarperCollins. Film Review: Titanic. (n.d.). Retrieved 27 March 2015, from http://teachinghistory.org/nhec-blog/24557 Hucles, J., Hudgins, P., & Gamble, K. (n.d.). Reflection and distortion: Women of color in the magazine advertisement. Women and Population Culture Selected Reading, 185-188. (n.d.). Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. Women and Population Culture Selected Reading, Rotman, D. L. (2006). Separate Spheres? Beyond the Dichotomies of Domesticity. Journal of Current Anthology. . Read More