Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Rosebud
Rosebud is perhaps the most famous symbol in movie history. What is the significance of the name "rosebud?" What is the significance of the sled? Is it the key to understanding Kane's life or just one missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle that does not explain much at all? A meaningful symbol or a MacGuffin? Are there other symbols in the film that are more meaningful or complement you reading of the sled (such as statues, jigsaw puzzles, Xanadu, etc)?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Rosebud is supposed to symbolize the times that Kane was not in control of his life. I think that the sled was supposed to represent when he was happiest and that was why he kept it around. When he was a younger boy, watching him play in the snow, you could see that he did not have to take care of himself. In the sense that he was being a child, and he wasn’t forced to make major life decisions yet. This is changed by his mothers’ decision, and I think that the sled at the end of the movie was supposed to represent his life burning away and his joy and happiness going up in smoke. The name Rosebud was a friendly and childish name that was perfect for someone to look back on and think about when depressed. It gives of the sense of joy and happiness when the character is down. I think this was the main reason Kane said it as he was dying, because he was trying to think of a time when the whole world wasn’t coming after him and when life was as simple as him and his sled. I think that this was the most meaningful symbol in the movie to Kane because it reflected his beliefs before he became a “bad” man. The puzzles and other items were representing the confusion in his life because he wanted nothing more than for life to be simple and happy like when he was a young boy sledding.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the name “rosebud” is a symbol for his past and how it all started. Rosebud was the name on his sled and he had it with him when he left his family to become rich. But at this moment, he had no control or any say of whether or not he wanted to leave his family, he was forced to leave. So I feel that rosebud is kind of like the beginning of his story and when his life really began. Like it was at that moment when he was put on the road of success, but he had no control over it. I feel like it’s just a small part of the puzzle and just represents the beginning of his success. I feel that another meaningful symbol in the movie are the statues. I feel like the statues kind of represent how he feels about other people. Like he buys statues, so I think he expects that he can buy other people and make them loyal to him with just his money. With his second wife he bought a lot of expensive stuff for her and them, but he wasn’t nice to her and just expected her to still love him even when he physically hurt her. I also feel like the statues also show that he cares more about material objects instead of actual people. Like he has more statues in his life than actual people in his life, and he has all this expensive stuff that he doesn’t really need.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of Rosebud in Citizen Kane, is that it represents Charles Kane’s last words and it also shows the connection to not only his lost life, but also many morals of the movie. In the movie, Rosebud is the name of Charles Kane’s sled that was basically his best friend when he was a child. When Charles was given away by his mother, he had to leave the sled which ultimately tore him from his love for the sled. The sled is basically a symbol for innocence, simplicity, and pure enjoyment of his childhood and family that he lost when his mother gave him to live a rich life. So therefore, Charles being separated from his sled displays his separation from a simple, normal life that he loved and didn’t want to leave. An important scene from the movie that displays the importance to his sled is when he is taken away, and the scene shows his sled lonely in the snow, and then the cut dissolves to Charles living an unhappy life. This displays not only the separation from the sled and his childhood, but also the loneliness that he is never able get rid of throughout his life. Personally, I feel Rosebud most certainly is the key to understanding his life because he was never the same after he was separated from the sled. This occurrence forever changed his life and he never recovered from it. From the separation on, Charles Kane was ultimately living a life of loneliness and depression due to the fact that all he had was money, and he realized that money couldn’t buy him happiness. The only thing that could truly bring him happiness was his sled and his past life.
ReplyDeleteRosebud is by far the most significant symbol in Citizen Kane for Charlie Kane’s life. When watching Citizen Kane there seems to be a big leap between little Charlie Kane living a modest life, sledding in the backyard to the rich, powerful, and somewhat narcissist newspaper man. To me, a rosebud symbolizes potential for growth into a beautiful thing, and a sled represents moving forward, but with no clear destination or goal except just the joy of the ride. Throughout the movie, Kane can be seen as representing the opposite of what a sled and rosebud represent. While he does blossom, he blossoms into a person who does not represent beauty in anyway. He is arrogant and hurts the people be loves with no remorse. He is also seen as very goal oriented without enjoying the ride of life at all. For example, he is so set on being governor that he will do anything to win which makes people like Jedediah Leland question his integrity. Charlie Kane’s last words being rosebud can be seen as Kane’s recognizing for the first time in his life that he is at fault and is not perfect. He recognizes that despite the riches, fame, and women, he did not live a fulfilled life which resulted in his unhappiness. The only happiness in his life he can remember is sledding on rosebud before being adopted by Mr. Thatcher and taken into a life where money and power was valued over happiness.
ReplyDeleteI think that Rosebud symbolizes the underlying question of “What If?” This proves to be a very significant symbol of life because many of us find ourselves asking “What if this…” or “What if that…”. And so I think that having a character reach such great success via a very strong and definite life changing moment however, is also eternerally alone and/or searching for love, sends a very powerful message to the viewer. This very symbol, Rosebud, makes humanity question what is truly important in life. Is it fame and success? Or is it truth and love? The film shows that in both situations there will be a series of challenges and ups and downs, but it also makes you think about which one will prove to be more worth while in the end. For example, as a boy playing in the snow, Kane loved his sled and exhibited feelings of freedom and joy. However, on the contrary it was shown that his father could be fairly aggressive and physical towards him. So, if he stayed, he’d have fun and love and laughter, but he’d also have a harsh father. On the other hand, when he is all grown up, we see how much he is worshiped by his peers and in newspapers, etc. giving him a false and inefficient sense of feeling love that made him feel good only momentarily. Then, he experienced power and class. However, in the end he was left with nothing no wives, no family, no true friends, and no one who loved him. And as we see in the end, he feels that exact same sense of “What if?” as he passes away. So which is more important?
ReplyDeleteThere are many symbols present in the 1941 movie Citizen Kane with each representing a different part of Charles Kane’s life. Rosebud, the most prominent symbol, is the driving theme throughout the movie. Those last words of Charles Kane led the investigator to uncover the story of a man not born into wealthy, rising to the top. In the end of the movie, it is discovered that rosebud is the name of a sled from his child hood but its significance is much deeper than its literal meaning. Rosebud stands for Kane’s true self, who he was before he became a household name. Kane comes from humbling beginnings; his parents did not have much money and sold him to a bank with hopes that he can create a better life for himself. His level of power is represented by the deep focus in the childhood scenes. The banker and his mother are largest in the frame followed by his father and then himself. Kane is all the way in the background and shown very small. This shows that at this moment, Kane does not have control over his life. He was only a kid and rosebud, his sled, is the memory of his roots. There was more to him then just money and power. This is a very important piece to understanding Kane’s life but it is not the only piece. Represented by the jigsaw puzzles scattered throughout Xanadu, his life was complicated, there are many pieces needed to complete the puzzle of who is Charles Kane. Another important symbol is Xanadu, his home. Xanadu is an enormous castle that is constantly changing and new additions are being added. This is a representation of his life. People are constantly entering and exiting it and new problems and situations arise just as quickly as others are solved. Susan is one of the many changes in his life. Susan enters his life and then later leave causing Kane to trash her room in anger. Overall, Charles Kane lived a very complex life that cannot be understood by just one symbol and each symbol must be connected similar to how pieces of a puzzle are.
ReplyDeleteRosebud was the greatest mystery of the movie “Citizen Cain” driving forth the plot in order to attempt to figure out what it meant. I personally believe the sled itself had little meaning in the overall meaning of the story it was simply a McGuffin to drive forward the plot and get the entire story of Mr. Charles Cain. However, that doesn’t mean that rosebud had no meaning itself in the film. The sled while simply a McGuffin was also something that represented Cain’s life as a whole or at least how he wish it had been. He wished for his childlike innocence to be what was prevalent throughout his life as opposed to what he actually got which was wealth forced upon him and success expected of him. With what he got in life in his success and friends who ended up leaving him all he wanted in the end was to go back to simpler times before anything was expected of him and all he needed do was play with his rosebud in the snow.
ReplyDeleteRosebud is often referenced throughout Citizen Kane as a this mystery that the viewer assumes holds great significance, only to find out that it was the name of Kane's childhood sled. This disappointing plot twist wasn't an accident by the movie, but instead it was purposely done to give the viewer into the true desires of Charles Foster Kane. While on the surface, the viewer may see Kane as a selfish man who only wants money and power. In fact, his unwillingness to stop chasing after this power led to his downfall in the election. The symbolism between Rosebud and the life Kane actually lived out for himself is to show the differences between what people want versus what they really need. Kane's whole life from the moment his parents gave him up was built around the idea of becoming as successful and powerful as possible. He was led to believe that money and social status was equated to happiness, but he realized this lie only on his death bed. For Kane, he thought that becoming richer and more well-known would make him a happier person. His attempt to become senator and his publication of Susan Alexander's singing were just desperate attempts to give meaning to his empty life. Kane wanted all along to live a simple and normal life, like he had before he was sent away by his parents. Rosebud may have seemed like an insignificant part of the plot, but the viewer is missing the point if they don't understand Kane's true desires by his final word. Kane spent his whole life distracting himself to give meaning to his life. He even built a fortress, Xanadu, to block himself out from the outside world. Kane never wanted the limelight and the fame, but he wanted normality that he only got when he locked himself in his castle of a home. Rosebud may have seemed like a minor plot device, but it was intended to be this way on purpose to show the simplicity that Kane needed all along.
ReplyDelete