Titanic: Why does Rose drop the Heart of the Ocean Necklace overboard?

Why did Old Rose throw the Heart of the Ocean Necklace into the Sea?

 

     

Don’t do it ya crazy old broad! 

           

 

 

 

It is frustrating for many viewers when Old Rose tosses her beautiful diamond necklace into the sea.  How are we supposed to understand this seemingly bizarre action.  

It is important to note that The Heart of the Ocean Necklace is a McGuffin.  A McGuffin is the object that serves as a catalyst for the entire movie.  The crew’s search for the diamond allows Rose to recall her memories from the Titanic.  What has baffled viewers is Rose’s decision at the end of the movie to drop the Heart Necklace into the Atlantic Ocean.  Shouldn’t she (a) Give the necklace to the treasure hunter Brock Lovett?  Or (b) Give the necklace to her daughter? What prompts Rose to make this seemingly rash decision?

Well, to answer this, let's think that The Heart of the Ocean Necklace is a representation the extreme opulence of the first-class passengers aboard the Titanic.  “We are royalty,” Cal tells Rose.  The diamond is a symbol of the classism plot in Titanic.  Just as Rose gives Cal’s bodyguard 'the finger' when she escapes with Jack, the discardment of the diamond is a giant middle finger to the wealthy as a whole.

Throughout the movie, Rose finds herself in a life she is trying to escape.  Her whole existence is planned out for her; starting out by marrying Cal -the man she doesn’t love. Rose feels like she is "going back to America in chains" and the Heart Necklace is a giant chain around her neck. 

At the same time.  The diamond is the last remnant of the burden she was carrying her whole life.  She needed to return it to the sea and let it go.

But then couldn’t she just “let it go” by giving it to the crew?  Brock Lovett spent so much money looking for it.  However, once again, Rose faces a patronizer in the wealthy treasure hunter Lovett.  Is it just a coincidence that the crew in comprised of all men?  Is the crew the modern day patriarchy that would go off and congratulate themselves with “brandies in the smoking room” like the elite men aboard the Titanic.  

Even the names “Cal Hockley” and “Brock Lovett” are very similar syllabically.  Not Rose; she sees through the ruse.  She will not give the diamond to a Cal Hockley 2.0.  When the focus for Brock becomes the story of the Titanic, and not the treasure, he became a better man.  He throws away the phallic cigar and tells Rose’s daughter: “Three years...I’ve thought of nothing except Titanic.  But I never got it.  I never let it in.”

 

But, why wouldn’t she give the diamond to her daughter then?  The diamond was worth millions and would let her daughter (and future generations) be more than financially secure.  That’s because, (rightly or wrongly), in Rose’s opinion she doesn’t want her descendants to end up like the little girl robot on the Titanic (see picture to the left).  Rose views money, not as freedom, but as the road to bondage.  Money will lead to entrapment and misery, Rose believes.  Therefore, she will not give the diamond to her daughter.

In the end, Rose chooses to drop the diamond into the ocean.  The necklace disappears under water much like Jack’s frozen body.  Perhaps this imagery shows how much Jack helped change Rose’s life.  The necklace, heart-shaped, is a symbolic gesture of her heart returning to him.  Most importantly, the dropping of the necklace represents the Final Stage of the Hero’s Journey: The Return with the Elixir.  In this final stage, the hero brings a new perspective for the audience to consider.  Rose encourages everyone to break free of conventions and lead a life of independence.  In one of the final scenes, the audience is shown photographs of Rose’s life.  She led a life of adventure and freedom.  She has escaped bondage and followed her own heart.