Losing What He Never Had;
Citizen Kane and Existential Nihilism
Joseph Lyons In George Orwell’s Citizen Kane, the audience is brought to consider the life of Charles Foster Kane. By examining the flashpoint events of his life through several people’s retold memories, the movie shows that the titular Kane is unable to see, till the very end, how empty his life was. When the epiphany of his own shallowness finally occurs, it is at the very end. Charles Foster Kane constantly sought either power for himself or to distract himself from the purposelessness of his life. Kane’s predicament is partially described by Blaise Pascal’s in Pensées: “I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that …show more content…
The opening shows the trapped nature of Kane. The opening shot is of several fences compressed around the background with a telephoto lens. The background is the indistinct Xanadu. The self-trapping nature of the titular character is shown in the very first shot: “No Trespassing”. Kane did not want something to occur or behave beyond his control. When Jedediah started writing a truthful review of Susan Alexander’s performance, Kane, in a massive black fur coat strode across the floor towards the bright light and partially covering it. This is Kane having to face the truth of his actions and just as he walked into the light but remained black he writes the truth but for his own reasons. Kane needed to prove that he was the moral superior. As he types he is wearing a white shirt, however he is surrounded by blackness as if about to be consumed. This shows that he is missing something crucial for a purposeful …show more content…
The young Charles Kane was taken from his home as a child and put in one that lacked care. This is shown in the final shot, where the symbol of childhood that Kane missed, the mysterious “Rosebud”, is thrown into the fire. Its removal from his life was the instigator for all his portrayed moral failings. It is not until he meets Susan Alexander that the audience is shown an attempt to reclaim that innocence. The scene is nearly completely shades of black with Susan’s white hat bobbing along as she giggles at Kane’s mud covered clothes and face. This displays innocence on her part. However, when a Kane darkly lit closes the door to the apartment and Susan reopens it, her white blouse and face are shrouded in darkness. This shows Kane’s darkness spreading to her. In the end, she proves to be another distraction and even worse, another tool for Kane to use to exert his
Citizen Kane and Existential Nihilism
Joseph Lyons In George Orwell’s Citizen Kane, the audience is brought to consider the life of Charles Foster Kane. By examining the flashpoint events of his life through several people’s retold memories, the movie shows that the titular Kane is unable to see, till the very end, how empty his life was. When the epiphany of his own shallowness finally occurs, it is at the very end. Charles Foster Kane constantly sought either power for himself or to distract himself from the purposelessness of his life. Kane’s predicament is partially described by Blaise Pascal’s in Pensées: “I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that …show more content…
The opening shows the trapped nature of Kane. The opening shot is of several fences compressed around the background with a telephoto lens. The background is the indistinct Xanadu. The self-trapping nature of the titular character is shown in the very first shot: “No Trespassing”. Kane did not want something to occur or behave beyond his control. When Jedediah started writing a truthful review of Susan Alexander’s performance, Kane, in a massive black fur coat strode across the floor towards the bright light and partially covering it. This is Kane having to face the truth of his actions and just as he walked into the light but remained black he writes the truth but for his own reasons. Kane needed to prove that he was the moral superior. As he types he is wearing a white shirt, however he is surrounded by blackness as if about to be consumed. This shows that he is missing something crucial for a purposeful …show more content…
The young Charles Kane was taken from his home as a child and put in one that lacked care. This is shown in the final shot, where the symbol of childhood that Kane missed, the mysterious “Rosebud”, is thrown into the fire. Its removal from his life was the instigator for all his portrayed moral failings. It is not until he meets Susan Alexander that the audience is shown an attempt to reclaim that innocence. The scene is nearly completely shades of black with Susan’s white hat bobbing along as she giggles at Kane’s mud covered clothes and face. This displays innocence on her part. However, when a Kane darkly lit closes the door to the apartment and Susan reopens it, her white blouse and face are shrouded in darkness. This shows Kane’s darkness spreading to her. In the end, she proves to be another distraction and even worse, another tool for Kane to use to exert his