| Citizen Kane Essay, Research Paper
In the film, “Citizen Kane” directed by Orson Welles, Charles Foster Kane had built an entire
empire around Xanadu. With all of his money, he was never truly happy. He had bought many things
for the wives that he had, but they too were also never truly happy. His wives wanted something
from him that he was not willing to express, and that was his true feelings.
When he was a young child he had been taken away from the things that he truly loved. He
loved his mother and being with his friends, most of all he loved sledding. But when he was forced to
move away he was expected to grow up quickly and act as how a man would act. His childhood
had been quickly been taken away from him. He was taken away by Thatcher, he was to now be his
guardian until the age of 25. Then the fortune that his mother had given him would now be his.
Since he had moved from his home in Colorado, he started to look for something that would
make him happy. He wanted to buy a perfect home in the perfect place he wanted his own Xanadu.
He had bought many animals to try and make himself happy. But this did not work even though he
had one of the biggest privately owned zoo’s in the world.
He had married Emily Norton and had a child with her. While he was married to her he tried
running for governor but at the same time he was having an affair with Susan Alexander. But when
the press got a hold of this information it just about ruined all of his creditability, therefore causing
his to not be elected governor. When he was talking with Susan Alexander she told him everything
that she always wanted but never got. She wanted to be a singer but no one would really hired her.
So two weeks after his divorce with Emily Norton, he had married Susan Alexander. She would
soon get everything that she ever wanted. She lived in a huge house and had a theater built for her.
But she would also learn that Charles Foster Kane did not express his feelings to her. She would be
left at home by herself most of the time putting together puzzles, which symbolized her trying to put
the pieces in her life back together.
Charles Foster Kane was at work most of the time he owned the Inquirer. He loved being in
control of what was printed in the newspaper. But in the beginning he was approached by a man
telling him that he was not running the newspaper well because every year they were losing a
million dollars. But Charles Foster Kane had replied with well I guess were going to have shut down
this place in sixty years, when he said this his attitude seemed to change a bit because he was being a
bit sarcastic and in the move you don’t see much of that from him.
Charles Foster Kane didn’t lead the happiest life that he could have. Before he died his last
work was “Rosebud” this word was the key to his happiness when he was a child he had a sled and
its name was Rosebud. While he said his last word he dropped the snow globe, which fell to the
floor. This snow globe had symbolized his childhood, which was when he was truly happy.
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