NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Some movies come along where we tend to find ourselves rooting for the enemy outright. Then, as we get older or even take a second look at the film, we see things we missed the first time around. And that’s exactly what happened to me with Titanic when it came to Rose.
For years, we felt the pain of heartbreak for Jack and Rose. Why didn’t James Cameron give them a happy ending? Why did Jack have to die the way he did? And we can’t forget the debate that’s still ongoing—was there enough room on that door for both Jack and Rose?
Well, maybe just maybe, Jack’s death fell right in place as the real villain of Titanic sat and watched it all unfold. Did Rose love Jack? Yes, she did, but it was a game of survival, and she chose herself. While we all viewed Cal as the villain in Titanic, the actual person we should have been rooting against was, in fact, Rose.
Think about it. Rose and her mother boarded the Titanic, living a lie already. They needed the money and name that Cal and his family had to survive. Rose was engaged to Cal, and yet, she fell in love and cheated with Jack. If that was a man, he would be viewed as the villain, but since it was shown to us as some type of soul mate, true love type thing, we gave Rose a pass. A pass that she didn’t deserve.
Jack met Rose while she was attempting to kill herself. She got the sympathy of a poor and gullible kid and ran with it. Throughout the rest of the movie, she did unthinkable acts, which in turn forced Cal into the so-called villain role. I mean, he was watching his future wife fall in love with another man right in front of his face. What else was he supposed to do?
In her defense, Rose was just a child being forced into the role of a woman. Let’s not forget that Rose was just 17 years old when she boarded the fateful ship. That’s still a child. Cal was 30 years old, so, truth be told, what did Rose really know about anything? She may have had some feelings for Cal, but not to the tune of marriage or real love. What she saw in Jack changed everything.
Even with death staring her in the face, with the water rising, she did choose love and came back for Jack. That was pure, but Rose was hiding something. Maybe we’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say she forgot. But Rose was doing all this with the Heart of the Ocean in her pocket that she stole from Cal. Does it matter what she took it for? No, she still stole it.
Fast forward to the infamous survival scene. Why not hop in that water with your soul mate and meet your fate? Yes, you already tried to take your life once. Why not go out with the man you love? Maybe that’s a bit too much. Her going on and living her life is what Jack requested her to do. Ok, so we can’t fault her for that. Let’s end the infamous debate, Jack COULD NOT fit on that board. As a man, Jack did the right thing by letting her stay.
Now, the part that made me really look at her as more of a villain was that Rose made solid decisions that could have changed the lives of others. Brock and his crew were in search of the Heart of the Ocean. Come to find out, Rose had it all along. At her age, and finally getting the Titanic story off her chest and conscience, Rose decided to screw everyone over again and toss the necklace back into the ocean. Yes, that was selfish as hell.
That man could have been famous; instead, Rose had these people thinking the necklace was lost at sea. What would it have hurt to give them the necklace at the end?
Cal has been viewed as the villain when all along, the real villain was being glorified as a love-struck young lady. When, in fact, Rose’s actions caused more harm than good while at sea and beyond. Older now, and I can look at Titanic with fresh eyes and a different perspective on life and see Rose for what she was.
