Rosebud

'Citizen Kane' is a story about a journalist who tries to find the secret of a man's life in his dying word: rosebud. Throughout the process of uncovering his past to try to understand his life, they uncover a complex and twisted web of selfishness and pride. Charles Foster Kane was a man, whom deserted by his family at a young age, was sent to live with a man he neither liked nor respected. All his life he had a ton of money, but didn't find happiness until he decided to loose his money, and run a paper: the New York Inquirer. But if he was truly happy even then, can be debated. Because the journalist was so intent on finding out what he was searching for, he completely missed what was really important to Kane. He missed the relationship between Kane and his friends, and manager. Also the significance of his failed marriages, especially the second one. This one seemed more important, and tragic, because he begged for her to stay, and she refused. I think that this really had a negative effect on the rest of his life.

At the very end, the journalist hasn't found what Rosebud means, and feels that he has failed his readers, and will never discover the true Charles Kane. Unfortunately he didn't realize how important all the information he uncovered truly was. That one word cannot sum up a mans life, and how tragic and lonely he lived. He never truly let anyone love him, and wasn't able to truly love anyone, not even his wife or child. At the very end of the movie, just before the credits, the viewers, and no one else discovers the true meaning of Rosebud. That is was his childhood sleigh, which represents his childhood. That was before all the heartbreak that he caused, and suffered from. Before his parents deserted him for what they believed was right, and before he lived a lonely life with two failed marriages, and many failed friendships. Back when life was easy, and all he had to think about was finding the highest hill to sled down.

I think that his dying word represents his happiest times in life, and like Mr. Bernstein said: "A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. You take me. One day, back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl." As insignificant as that sleigh seems, it could have meant something so personal, that even his closest friends wouldn't have understood it. I think that shows the true meaning of the movie, that what means everything to one person probably means nothing to another. The journalist was playing a game he could never win.