How effective is the portrayal of the independent self in "Citizen Kane".

Essay by husskHigh School, 12th gradeA-, June 2006

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The portrayal of the independent self, through the protagonist Charles Kane, in Citizen Kane is no doubt effective. It is a 'prismatic' movie concerning the life of a famous American seen from different points of view and shows a man who is inclined towards independence.

"Citizen Kane" is a film predominantly about a man whose past becomes manifested in his present and future. He is tragically torn from his parents as a child and this separation leads to his inability to love or be loved as an adult. He develops into an arrogant and egotistic character whose desire for love, power and success forces him to become independent and he dies a failure as a private man.

The form of the film - a newsreel followed by the investigation into Kane's life through interviews with five people who knew him - makes a very effective portrayal of an independent man who is a failure as a private figure.

The newsreel focuses on his public life and shows how he strove for independence and what he achieved. The interviews, on the other hand, focus on his private life and show the consequences of this independence on the inner man.

Through the newsreel we learn how Kane sacrifices himself to power and success. "Greatest newspaper tycoon of this or any other generation." He becomes a successful public figure and a household name. The magnitude of his achievements is huge. But with all this success also comes the want as well as the need for him to be independent, to show that he can achieve anything he wants, without anyone else. Consequently, the success in his material life goes hand in hand with the failure in his spiritual and emotional lives.

It is important to note that all through the film there...