Ruth DeWitt Bukater |
|
|---|---|
 | |
| Biological Information | |
| Full name |
Ruth DeWitt Bukater |
| Gender |
Female |
| Born |
1860s |
| Background Information | |
| Family |
Unnamed husband (deceased) |
| Romances |
Unnamed husband (deceased) |
| Hometown |
Pennsylvania |
| Titanic Statistics | |
| Boarded |
Southampton, England |
| Destination |
New York, U.S.A |
| Occupation |
Passenger, socialist |
| Class |
First class |
| Fate |
Escapes on lifeboat 6 |
| Production | |
| Classification |
Fictional character |
| Portrayal | |
Ruth DeWitt Bukater (born in 1860s) is the mother of Rose DeWitt Bukater and one of the main antagonists in Titanic. She was very snobby, rude, spoiled, and selfish, most likely due to the fact that she was consumed by her wealth. After her husband died and left her and Rose penniless, Ruth's gold-digging personality went to the extreme and targeted Cal for Rose so they could remain wealthy. She is portrayed by Frances Fisher.
Character History
Early Life
Ruth was born around the 1860s. Not much else is known about Ruth's early life, but it is known that she was born in Pennsylvania. It is not known who her parents were, but they were most likely first-class, because Ruth inherited much of their wealth.
It is also unknown who Ruth's husband was, but it is known that she gave birth to his daughter, Rose DeWitt Bukater. When her husband died when Rose was still a child; Ruth claimed that he left them with nothing but a legacy of bad debts hidden by a good name. Rose and Ruth did not develop a very good relationship, however; because when Rose was about 16, Ruth forced her into an arranged marriage with Caledon Hockley for his money.
Onboard RMS Titanic.
In 1912, Cal and Rose boarded the Titanic with Ruth. "So this is the ship they say is unsinkable," Ruth remarked as she boarded.
Ruth is seen numerous amounts of times throughout the movie pushing Rose around, forbidding her to smoke or even giving her a cold glare when she sees her spitting.
At the dinner scene, Ruth exposes Jack as a steerage passenger in hopes of having him sh
Ruth talking to Rose.
unned (though he avoids it with a joke) and even forbidding Rose from seeing him again, in case she runs off with him and leaves her penniless.
The next day she forbids Rose from seeing Jack again, saying all Rose's father left her when he died was a "list of debts hidden by a good name. That name is the only card we have to play."
Once the ship hit a iceberg, Ruth was reluctant to get on a lifeboat, not realizing what great peril she was in. She said to Rose that she 'hoped there were first class seats' on the lifeboats, so she wouldn't have to sit next to any steerage, believing them to be inferior to her.
Rose is angered by this comment, shouting at her mother that half the people on this ship will die, and that she is behaving awfully in the circumstances.
When Ruth gets on Lifeboat 6 she is seen to be shocked and scared when Rose runs away from the lifeboat to be with Jack. She tries to call her back, but Rose either doesn't hear her or doesn't care anymore.
In a deleted scene, she was last seen boarding the Carpathia. She has survived the disaster, but is led to believe that Rose is dead. Her character isn't seen again after this scene. Her hair all tied in a bun.
The last time she was seen in the actual film was in lifeboat six where see was covering her ears to drown the sound of the people who had went down with the ship and were stuck in the water drowning and freezing to death cries for help.
Aftermath
It is unknown what happened to Ruth after the disaster. She is never shown or even heard of reuniting with her daughter. Although uncertain, it is possible that Ruth never saw Rose again, due to Rose's hatred of her (which had intensified while aboard Titanic) and her changing her name to "Rose Dawson," likely to avoid being found by her or Cal (whom had survived the Titanic sinking). This possibly led Ruth to believe that her daughter had died in the Titanic disaster.
Most fans speculate that she became a poor and penniless seamstress, without the financial security of the arranged marriage between Cal and Rose.
It is however, possible that she re-married into wealth, but this is very unlikely, mainly because back in 1912 it was considered scandalous to re-marry, especially at Ruth's age. However, since Ruth does not make an appearance after her survival, nor is mentioned again, her fate is left unknown.