The Role of Audience in Narrative Structure: A Critical Analysis of Citizen Kane Olivia F. Vega College

In Orson Welles’s 1941 groundbreaking film, Citizen Kane, the eponymous, recently deceased, character Charles Foster Kane is portrayed as a hugely influential figure to society. The gossip around his enigmatic personal life and illustrious journalistic career have captivated the public’s curiosity and speculation on his political leanings and morality. The film depicts pivotal events in Kane’s life through flashbacks delivered by his close friends and lovers and presents Thompson, the reporter as a limited narrator, only privy to certain aspects of Kane’s life. He remains in the dark both metaphorically and literally for the entire film. The narrative structure is unique in the way that it presents a non-linear plot from multiple perspectives, while combining non-diegetic and diegetic elements and varied forms of media. The use of non-traditional cinematography and presence of unreliable narrators, emphasize the importance of the audience in deciphering the meaning behind Kane’s legacy and judging his true identity.

A young reporter, simply referred to as Thompson, functions as a narrator, relaying information to the audience. His personal opinions and character development are unimportant, emphasized through his perpetual...