Charles Foster Kane - Fictional Character Biography

Fictional Character Biography

Citizen Kane explores the life of the titular character, who is born of humble origins in the fictional settlement of Little Salem, Colorado, circa 1863. A mine given to his parents — to settle a bill for room and board — happens to be rich in gold, making the family suddenly wealthy. In 1871, Kane's mother puts him under the guardianship of a New York City banker named Walter Parks Thatcher, who raises him in luxury until he becomes an adult. However, Kane blames Thatcher for ripping him away from his family. In acts of rebellion, he attends prestigious colleges such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Cornell — and gets himself expelled from all of them.

As an adult, Kane takes control of a Thatcher-owned newspaper called the New York Inquirer, thinking that "it might be fun to run a newspaper". His first act as the paper's new owner is to publish a "declaration of principles" stating his duty to be truthful to his readers. However, he almost immediately begins using yellow journalism tactics to blow stories out of proportion, encourage a war with Spain, and thwart Thatcher's political goals and business interests — including ones Kane holds stock in. Kane also hires staff members away from the rival Chronicle newspaper, regarding them as collectibles. To finance the initially fledgling Inquirer, Kane uses his personal resources; this would allow him to operate it, even at a million dollar annual loss, for decades.

Kane eventually marries Emily Monroe Norton, the niece of an apparently fictional president of the United States. Unfortunately, the marriage sours as Kane's wealth and power feed his megalomaniacal ego. As his popularity and fortune increases, Kane runs for Governor of New York against reputedly corrupt boss J. W. Gettys. An election victory is almost certain until Gettys reveals evidence of Kane's affair with a young "singer" named Susan Alexander. Gettys blackmails Kane, meeting with him and his wife at Susan's apartment. Kane, however, refuses to drop out of the race despite Gettys' leverage. As a result, the scandal goes public and Kane loses the election decisively. Furthermore, his best friend, Jedediah Leland, becomes profoundly disillusioned at Kane's haughty arrogance — first by humiliating his family, and then by treating the electorate like his personal property — insisting on being transferred to Kane's Chicago paper to stay away from him.

Emily divorces Kane in 1916, and dies two years later in a car crash with their son. Kane marries Susan and forces her into a doomed and humiliating career as an opera singer, even though such performances are seriously out of her depth. This effort costs Kane more than money when Jedediah Leland, now a drama critic for the Chicago Inquirer, refuses to follow the company line praising Alexander's performances. Leland becomes too drunk at the difficult task of writing a truthful review against his friend's wishes, falling into a stupor. Kane, while visiting the paper's newsroom, finishes the review with the negative tone intact to prove to Leland that he still has integrity. However, he simultaneously fires Leland for not indulging his obsession. In retaliation, Leland refuses his severance package and mails back the torn up check, along with the original copy of Kane's "declaration of principles" to show he has no integrity. Kane tears it up in anger.

After the despondent Susan attempts suicide, Kane releases her from her disastrous operatic career and retires to Xanadu, his gigantic Gothic chateau in Florida. Susan is unable to stand the monotonous routine inside the cavernous mansion and Kane's increasingly domineering nature, and eventually leaves him. The business downturns of the Great Depression — as well as Kane's excessive spending habits on the crumbling and unfinished Xanadu — costs Kane much of his control of his media empire, which he is forced to sell to Thatcher. Kane, however, still has considerable wealth. He returns to Xanadu and becomes a recluse, living alone and remaining estranged from all his friends. Kane dies of old age in 1941 uttering the cryptic word "Rosebud".

Reporter Jerry Thompson is assigned to track down the meaning of "Rosebud" shortly after Kane's highly publicized death. Despite interviewing all of Kane's living acquaintances, he never finds it. In truth, the word "Rosebud" was written on the sled Kane was given by his parents as a little boy, and left behind at his mother's boarding house when he was sent away to live with Thatcher. It is implied in the film that Kane finds the sled in a warehouse around the time he first meets Susan. The sled is burned in an incinerator after Kane's death, along with other possessions seen as trash by Xanadu's departing staff. It symbolises the innocence and love stolen from Kane when he was taken from his parents.