The entire plot of this classic story can be made clear with two distinct symbols. These symbols resonate throughout the viewer’s mind and appear time and time again. In a political society where capitalism and hierarchies are both prevalent and stressed, something gets lost in a man, something depicted by a simple snow globe, and a sled.
A snow globe, although collected by a select few people in this world, holds little to no value in modern society. Snow globes are not a symbol of power, they are not a symbol of success, in fact, they are often simply a cheap way to remember a fantastic place. This is the idea depicted by the snow globe in Orson Welles’ film classic: Citizen Kane. The film begins with a series of gloomy, dark shots, followed …show more content…
Through childish demeanor and a purposefully high almost screechy voice, the mere essence of this woman becomes an embodiment of the childhood lost by Kane. Welles had a myriad of choices in what he wanted this woman to be portrayed as. A more classical approach would have been to make this girl have luscious, long hair, with a silky voice and skin equally as smooth. But, instead he makes Susan almost unbearable from the moment she is seen, with childish dialogue and a high-pitched giggle in place of a laugh. The viewer is supposed to think that a man of such stature, married to a president’s niece, deserves a woman of equal stature in society. When Kane falls for this woman, she becomes something to distract him from his newspaper. He takes care of her, attempting to build up her confidence and her singing abilities, similar to him taking care of a child. This seems to be the developing realism of why he chose to marry this woman, as she is similar to that of a child. Kane begins to see something in her that he never had himself, youthfulness. Because of this youthfulness he starts to become attached to her, but in the end, things go wrong. This girl, as a symbol of youth, begins to drive him crazy, likely causing him to doubt their entire relationship. Things must end between them if not just to keep his own sanity. This symbol, Susan, embodies exactly what thinks that he has become. In just a short period of time he went from a normal boy, to a man who had everything he ever wanted. When this happens to Susan, he sees the awful truth in the matter, and it becomes clear that his only option is
A snow globe, although collected by a select few people in this world, holds little to no value in modern society. Snow globes are not a symbol of power, they are not a symbol of success, in fact, they are often simply a cheap way to remember a fantastic place. This is the idea depicted by the snow globe in Orson Welles’ film classic: Citizen Kane. The film begins with a series of gloomy, dark shots, followed …show more content…
Through childish demeanor and a purposefully high almost screechy voice, the mere essence of this woman becomes an embodiment of the childhood lost by Kane. Welles had a myriad of choices in what he wanted this woman to be portrayed as. A more classical approach would have been to make this girl have luscious, long hair, with a silky voice and skin equally as smooth. But, instead he makes Susan almost unbearable from the moment she is seen, with childish dialogue and a high-pitched giggle in place of a laugh. The viewer is supposed to think that a man of such stature, married to a president’s niece, deserves a woman of equal stature in society. When Kane falls for this woman, she becomes something to distract him from his newspaper. He takes care of her, attempting to build up her confidence and her singing abilities, similar to him taking care of a child. This seems to be the developing realism of why he chose to marry this woman, as she is similar to that of a child. Kane begins to see something in her that he never had himself, youthfulness. Because of this youthfulness he starts to become attached to her, but in the end, things go wrong. This girl, as a symbol of youth, begins to drive him crazy, likely causing him to doubt their entire relationship. Things must end between them if not just to keep his own sanity. This symbol, Susan, embodies exactly what thinks that he has become. In just a short period of time he went from a normal boy, to a man who had everything he ever wanted. When this happens to Susan, he sees the awful truth in the matter, and it becomes clear that his only option is