Citizen Kane

The chronology of Citizen dictates the way that the viewer comes to understand Charles Kane. Initially, the viewer is introduced to an unknown man clinging to a Snowglobe and who then swiftly dies and sends the globe down the steps to its end after uttering the word, “Rosebud”. A newsreel-esk rundown of his life proceeds in the following.  Welles presents Kane as this larger than life figure, almost god like. The symbolism is glaring in the Island of Xanadu. Similarities to the story of Noah’s Ark are present when he brings two of every kind of animal to the Island. At this initial glance, the audience sees Kane as the creator of enormous wealth and a pseudo Garden of Eden. The audience is then introduced to Kane as a child, who initially didn’t come from wealth. In this scene, Kane’s love for his mother is apparent when he uses his Sled as a shield to protect himself from the man who will be taking him away from her. Soon afterward, we are introduced to a young Kane who denies all fortune with the goal to undertake the helm of a small Newspaper. He proceeds to print story after story battering those in power who manipulate the weak under the guidance of his own set of rules called, “The Declaration of Principles”. In an effort to become the most powerful newspaper, he poached the opposing Newspapers best writers and proceeds to throw a party. He then decides to go on vacation. After returning he is already married to the Niece of the President. The next scene shows the increasing distance that is created in the marriage. He spends all of his time at the newspaper, increasingly becoming more bitter and drunk with power. Kane begins running for Governor with the promise to put the biggest mob boss behind bars. After all of this, the audience begins to understand that Kane isn’t the God he was presented as in the beginning, but also not the philanthropic saint that gave up his fortune to expose those in power. He then meets a woman who loves to sing who the mob boss uses as blackmail. Kane refuses to back down and withdrawal because he doesn’t want to lose the love of the people. He then pours all of his resources into promoting Susan’s singing career, much to her dismay. After years of singing for him against her will she inevitably leaves him, causing him to have a meltdown. In the final moments we see a group of men throw Kane’s childhood sled into the fire and the name, “Rosebud”, is seen. The idea that Kane has done everything in order to get love from people has been prevalent up until this moment. But here we see Kane, not as a God or as a man, but as a child. Rosebud isn’t referring to the sled, but rather his mother. How he never wanted to leave her. That he felt rejected by her and the love he sought throughout the movie was his mother’s. We see Kane for who he is, a dying man with the world in his hands who wants his mother. If this story was told in it’s initial chronology, then the viewer wouldn’t have as much of a punch at the end of the film that it does.