Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Titanic

Actions

Let's put it this way: we can tell just what kind of guy Cal is by how he acts toward others. For example, when he doesn't like the relationship Rose and Jack have (hey, fair enough), he frames Jack for stealing the Heart of the Ocean (not fair enough). Also, he uses an abandoned child to try to gain access to a lifeboat.

As we've said elsewhere: he's just not the nicest guy.

However, his actions also prove he's not the Devil. For example, before the child incident, he foregoes getting in a lifeboat so he can go find Rose and try to make sure she's safe.

That might be because he thinks of her as a valuable piece of property that should be protected, but it seems more like he's got at least a tiny sliver of genuine affection for her—as he proves when he then gives her his coat to keep her warm.

Social Status

The movie spends a lot of time delving into how class and social status affect the characters and their attitudes. We never really figure out if Rose's mother is truly a bad person at her core, but her snobbery certainly makes her look and act like one.

For example, when all the women and children are boarding the lifeboats, Ruth takes time to ask if the lifeboats will be seated according to class, worrying that they might be too crowded—as if that's the most important thing in an emergency situation. Ruth's attitudes about class serve as pretty easy shorthand for her personal values and priorities.

Speech and Dialogue

Snobby characters like Cal and Ruth really reveal their darker sides by saying things openly that would be horrible even to think privately. For example, when Cal refers to his fiancée Rose as a "little slut" and Jack as "filth" (without even knowing him), that pretty much confirms our opinion of him as a rotten guy.