Literal Interpretation Depicted In The Film 'Rosebud'
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Throughout the film, Citizen Kane mise-en-scène and cinematography were vital to conveying Charles’s struggle for dominance as well as the motif of loneliness. During the film people where searching for meaning in Charles Foster Kane’s last words, “Rosebud”. In the end of the film, the audience watches as miscellaneous objects he has collected throughout his life is tossed into a fire and burned. One of the objects that were thrown into the fire was the sled he received as a child; it said “Rosebud” on it. Literal interpretations of “rosebud” could mean the sled; however, one man’s life cannot be boiled down to one simple thing. Yes, the sled and his childhood are vital in understanding who he is, but it is not as simple as that. The fact that no character in the film figured out what “Rosebud” is, is symbolic of a man’s (Charles) life and if it is possible to explain who a person is in just one word, and how people are more complex than that. One of the motifs of Citizen Kane is the feeling of being alone, which is evident in Mr. Kane as well as Susan. When they first met they…show more content… For example, the setting combined with actor placement establishes each character’s power. For example, because Charles’s mother is closest to the camera she is shown to have the most power, the lawyer is next closest to the camera and thus has more power as well. The furthest is Charles himself, he is outside, framed by himself through the use of the window, showing that he has no control over the happenings in the scene and therefore no control over his future. The second furthest is Charles’ father. He is unable to reason with his wife about Charles’s future, his lack of control is reinforced by his location in relation to the camera. This scene is vital in conveying meaning because it leads to who Charles is, and explains how he became that