James Cameron’s 1997 epic romance film is one that is still being talked about, and for obvious reasons. Titanic is based on the real-life disastrous event of the sinking of the RMS Titanic ship in 1912. The ship was considered the largest ship afloat at the time and had about 2,240 passengers and crew onboard. However, due to the clashing with an iceberg, the ship found its end destination on the bottom of the ocean and over 1,500 people lost their lives. This tragic incident then became an inspiration for many movies and books. Out of all these adaptations of the event, Cameron’s film stood out the most and is perhaps the key reason why the event is so popular.

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With DiCaprio and Winslet taking the lead roles, Titanic ended up becoming so popular that it is still being watched by its fans. Perhaps, one fascinating phenomenon the film gave rise to is many debates. Could Jack have fit on the door? Was there really a Jack and Rose? Did the Titanic actually sink? These debates gave rise to conspiracy theories as well. Recently, Titanic started becoming the headlines of many articles simply because James Cameron has put an end to the “could Jack have fit on the door with Rose?” debate once and for all. Since, Rose’s death is also another debate, this article attempts to gather the information available and find an answer to this question.

Who Exactly is Rose?

     20th Century Fox 

The first and, perhaps, the most important question is who exactly is Rose? According to the film, Rose DeWitt Bukater is an upper-class passenger on the ship who is engaged to a 30-year-old man named Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane). Even though Rose is not attracted to Hockley nor happy about the engagement, it is revealed that the reason she is with this man is to save her family from falling down from their upper-class status following her father’s death. Thus, as she crosses paths with Jack Dawson, a lower-class passenger on the ship who made his way to the Titanic by winning tickets through a poker game, she realizes what true love is and ends up having a relationship with Jack. Their romance becomes the central story of the film and is the reason why the film is a tear-jerker.

However, there was never a Rose DeWitt Bukater in the Titanic. In fact, Cameron was inspired by a completely different person named Beatrice Wood, who may not have traveled on the Titanic, but she had a similar personality as that of Cameron’s Rose. Cameron was reading Wood’s autobiography when he was developing the film. Thereby, it is obvious that he was influenced by Wood’s persona. Like Rose, Wood was charming, humorous and had a keen eye for the arts. Her art was controversial for her time. Perhaps, this can be seen in the film as she was able to connect to Jack because of his controversial paintings, which she becomes a part of. Additionally, Wood “claims she never married the men she loved and she never loved the men she did” which can also be alluded to Rose since the character was not able to marry the love of her life.

Since Wood was 104 at the time of Titanic’s premiere, Cameron and Gloria Stuart, who plays the adult Rose, brought the “video to her”. But, she refused to watch it since it was sad. What is fascinating is that, Titanic is narrated by a Rose, who is over 100 years old, which might be another link to Beatrice Wood. To answer the question “who is Rose”, she is merely a fictional character that was influenced by Beatrice Wood.

Original Ending - THE Debate

     Paramount Pictures & 20th Century Fox 

Whether Rose dies or not became a huge debate following the film’s original ending. In the end, we see that Rose has had the necklace with the “Heart of the Ocean” diamond, which Brock Lovett and his team has been searching for, all this time and decides to throw it to the ocean, so it can rest with Jack in the depths of the sea. Following this, the camera focuses on a peacefully sleeping Rose and transfers her to what seems like her dream. By focusing on Rose’s point of view, the film ends with Rose, who is not seen as the viewer is watching what unfolds through her perspective, reuniting with Jack while the other passengers applaud them. Now, the question is whether this was Rose’s afterlife or a mere dream.

On one hand, given that the story has been filmed from a third-person narration all this time, it is possible to say that Rose has died, and that it is her afterlife. This also connects with Rose letting go of the necklace, which can be even seen as a metaphor for her letting her of her life to reunite with Jack. On the other hand, it is possible to say that it is a mere dream. However, this option then gives rise to the question as to why the filmmakers decided to end with Rose, who is over 100 years old, still alive and dreaming.

Alternate Ending

In a deleted scene, which would have been the alternate ending of the film, Rose very clearly lives. In this finale, we see Lovett and his team finding Rose as she is about to throw the necklace and stopping her. Rose lets Lovett “feel” the diamond while stating “You look for treasure in the wrong place, Mr. Lovett.” Finally, she throws away the necklace in a very humorous way while Lovett’s crew grasp, with one man screaming “that really sucks, lady”. Obviously, this ending would have ruined the whole film and many viewers who came across this video were grateful for the original ending. However, as for the “did Rose die?” question, it would have never risen if this ending replaced the original.

Final Verdict

     Paramount Pictures

Answering the question of this article’s title is not easy since there are multiple ways of looking at it. On one hand, Rose never existed, and she can be seen as a mere metaphor for all the people that survived the Titanic. And if one is aware of Beatrice’s influence, it can be said that Rose, like her inspirational figure, dies after fulfilling over 100 years.

However, the most plausible answer to the question seems to be that Rose dies at the end of the film, as portrayed in the original ending, and is reunited with Jack in the afterlife. This is affirmed through the necklace reuniting with Jack. This answer allows the film to take on the romantic ending it aims at.