Do we, as the audience peering through the 4th wall, feel satisfied after we learn who Rosebud is?
As most of the class seemed to agree in our discussion on Thursday that we don't feel any closer to unlocking any secrets about Kane after we learn that Rosebud was his childhood sled, I started wondering what exactly the point of Rosebud in the story was. The entire movie to me centered around figuring out who Rosebud was, and therefore having a better understanding of Charles Foster Kane. What exactly does Rosebud prove?
I think that Rosebud represents Kane's childlike innocence, which he left behind at his mother's boarding house as he was dragged away to a promising future and an education. But I also saw, through the eyes of people who knew Kane, that we was looking for a sense of belonging somewhere. He was lonely and no matter how many statues he bought, in the end all those statues were still only cold stone faces unable to care about his need to be loved. Those who did love him during his life eventually became impatient with his reluctant ability to love back. I think that "Rosebud" was his last word spoken because that was the only place he felt truly at home. Where he was loved, felt a sense of belonging, and also loved someone.
You raise a very good question. What would happen to your question though, if instead of answering it with a description of Kane as a person, if the answer was 'nothing?' What direction would that take your analysis in? Try it. Also, try bringing in the reading, because Cardullo deals with this.
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