The texts continue to be valued long after their composition because of their exploration of contextually relevant universal concerns. The timelessness of Orson Welles' 1941 feature film Citizen Kane lies in its treatment of enduring human flaws, making the text worthy of continued critical study. Exploring the influences of erratic personality, love, and socio-economic forces on the complex human psyche, Citizen Kane maintains its textual integrity across contexts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The ideals presented in Citizen Kane resonate over time as it explores the complex and chaotic nature of human existence at through Kane's fragmented identity. The superficial insistence in the screening room sequence that "Rosebud" is the simple answer to Kane's multifaceted psyche serves as a "thinly disguised Hollywood satire" (Ebert, 1998) by satirizing the emerging predominance of procedural noir films in the 1940s. Indeed, the journalist Thomson himself "does not think there is a single word that can describe a man's life", with this irony amplifying the Kane's contradictory nature as a "communist" and "fascist" in the news by establishing internal conflict as an integral part of human existence. Welles similarly uses an omniscient camera to provide an objective demarcation between Kane's private and public life, thereby emphasizing the subjectivity of truth where Thomson's investigations fail to uncover the "private grandeur...that he has kept for him.” As such, the recurring motif of a puzzle supports the fragmented insights given by other characters into Kane's enigmatic character in his reflection of the multidimensional human psyche. Furthermore, Kane's lack of physical presence when the camera captures his infinitely projected mirror image reveals the extent to which individuality is sacrificed in the struggle for social acceptance through conformity. The conflicting perspectives of Kane's true machinations presented by Bernstein and Leland, who respectively describe Kane as "an honest man" and selfish with "[no] convictions except [himself]", allow the audience to form their own interpretations, and he is thus pushed to question the complexity of their own identity. Citizen Kane further ensures its universal relevance by elucidating the importance of love and acceptance as intrinsic human needs. In the initial childhood scene, the focus on a window in the background acts as a barrier to amplify Kane's isolation from his parents, and it is later closed by Mr. Kane to symbolize the breakup permanent family ties in a materialistic and post-socio-economic context of depression. Kane's dissociation extends to his discordant first marriage to Emily despite being "married for love", as shown in the montage of six scenes at their breakfast table accompanied by waltz music which gradually becomes more dissonant to reflect their disintegrating relationship. Their intimate opening shot of a loving couple captured shoulder to shoulder deteriorates when they find themselves at opposite ends of a long table covered in a vast tablecloth, this mise-en-scène emphasizing the disconnect that emerges from materialism. Additionally, Kane's looming silhouette as he strikes his kneeling second wife, Susan, highlights his absolute control over her, with Welles using a parallel scene of a band joyfully playing "It Can't Be Love" to describe.