Citizen Kane Research Paper

Citizen Kane Essay – Consequences of Obsession

In Citizen Kane, Orson Welles explores the consequences of obsession. Such obsessions include Kane’s desire to win the love of others, regaining his lost childhood, Kane’s obsession with his reputation and public image, and Thompson, the journalist, seeking to unravel the mysteries of Kane’s life.
Kane’s obsession with winning the love of others is due to him being stripped of a maternal figure at a young age, which the latter was replaced by the imposing presence of Thatcher. This is evident through the motif of childhood throughout the film; the photograph of Kane’s mother, the snowglobe, and the all too common “Rosebud”. There is also, of course, the recurring motif of the letter “K” in celebration of Kane’s achievements. Lastly, there is Susan; their first meeting represents innocence, comprising of Kane performing shadow puppetry and wiggling his ears in an attempt to make Susan smile, drawing her attention from her toothache. Kane also states that he was “in search of my childhood” as he was heading for a warehouse when he met Susan.
Because of Kane’s obsession with winning the love of others, he becomes an egocentric man who confuses power and control with love. He is not capable of loving others, and ultimately dies alone, misunderstood by all around him.
Kane was fanatical about his reputation and image, due to receiving no love or respect from Thatcher; as such, he seeks to win the love and attention of the public. Welles conveys this through his use of dialogue and setting, such as the breakfast table montage between Kane and Emily; Emily: “People will think-“ Kane: “What I tell them to think.” This demonstrates Kane’s self-centredness and lust for power and dominance over others. Also, in the ‘News on the March” sequence, the statement “Xanadu is the biggest monument a man has built to himself since the pyramids” suggests Kane’s ridiculous ego and wealth. There is also Kane’s repeated use of the pronoun “we” during Susan’s interview following their marriage; Reporter: “Are you going to sing at the theatre Mrs Kane?” Kane: “We sure are.”, suggesting that Kane is attempting to share Susan’s spotlight.
As further proof, Kane’s entire ‘empire’ is his newspaper business, which relies entirely on the public; this symbolises that Kane determine his success by embracing corruption and lying to the public for the sake of his image.
Because of this, when Kane’s reputation is destroyed, he attempts to find other means of retaining – or attaining – his image, such as Susan’s opera singing. Kane also becomes an empty shell; a being who has lost his soul in his desire to retain reputation and image; he lacks empathy, becoming increasingly self-centred.
Kane is shown to be obsessed with regaining his lost childhood, due to the latter being sold over to Thatcher by Kane’s mother. This is supported at various stages throughout the film, such as the motif – and overall focus – of ‘Rosebud’, Kane’s childhood sled, and Kane’s childish letter to Thatcher, “I think it would be fun to run a
newspaper.”
This further reinforced by Susan’s innocence and naïve, childish nature, which is a metaphor of Kane’s childhood. Also, there is Kane’s childish tantrum when Susan leaves, destroying her room, and the burning of Rosebud after Kane’s passing, with a close-up shot of the wording “Rosebud”, the panning shot following it depicting smoke from Rosebud rising into the sky, a metaphor of Kane’s childhood passing away, unattainable. Lastly, during Kane’s initial meeting with Susan, Kane states that he was heading to a warehouse “in search of my childhood”, showing that Kane values his memories and possessions from back then greatly. Ironically, Kane moulds Susan, believing that he is helping her fulfil her dream, whereas in actuality, he is shaping her according to his values, just as Thatcher did to Kane.
As a result of this, Kane loses his boyish, childlike attitude as he is slowly corrupted by the reputation gained from running The Inquirer. Kane treats others poorly, isolating himself, and eventually dies alone, misunderstood by everyone. Also, Thatcher was ultimately the only source of information regarding Kane’s childhood, despite how vague and ignorant his notes were.
Thompson, the journalist – and character on which the audience gains a third-person perspective on the situation – strives to understand who Kane really was, due to the latter’s life being shrouded in mystery. Thompsons’s superiors insist that it will prove an excellent story, furthering their company’s desire for fame.
Third-person shots of Thompson interviewing several characters supports this, exhibiting the limitations of paper; the ‘News on the March’ sequence offers little insight into Kane’s life at all. Flashbacks of Kane’s life, told through each character’s perspective reinforce this, followed by the jigsaw puzzle motif as a metaphor of Kane’s life. Thompson is shown to be truly dedicated to his work, as he searches through the minds of those who knew Kane to some degree – Susan, Thatcher, Leland, etc. – in order to uncover everything there is to know about the real Kane, the man behind the fabricated public image.
Xanadu – and its surrounding borders – supports the fact that Kane went out of his way to keep others out of his life, his world. This is further reinforced by the shots of Kane from behind and above fences, seemingly with a shaky, handheld camera, indicating seclusion. Lastly, Thompson is a journalist, searching for a story that will stimulate his reputation, strikingly similar to Kane, with his newspaper industry.
Consequently, Thompson learns about Kane’s personality and behaviour from the perspectives of those closest to him, such as Susan and Leland. Furthermore, Thompson uncovers a lot about Kane’s life – shown with the panning shots in the closing sequence over large quantities of crates, the photo of Kane’s mother, etc. - but never solves the great ‘Rosebud’ mystery.
Throughout the film Citizen Kane by Orson Welles, the latter uses characters such as Kane and Thompson to explore the consequences of obsessions – whether they be of worldly possessions such as wealth, attempting to recover – and piece together – the fractals of one’s childhood, or even simply forging and maintaining a fallacious image for wearing like a mask to the mass population.