Charles Kane ain't nothing if he ain't proud. Time and time again, some of his closest friends call him on abandoning his core values.
But does Charles respond well to these challenges like a good friend? Nope, it's just the opposite. Throughout Citizen Kane, he totally isolates himself from anyone who questions him too much, and this all comes down to the fact that he's too proud to ever admit that he's wrong. Even when Boss Geddes tries to blackmail him out of the election for governor, Charles refuses to back down… even though he ends up destroying his family in the process.
Questions about Pride
- Is Charles always a proud guy, or is there a particular point in his life where it gets out of control? Why?
- Is there anyone else in this movie that is just as proud as Charles? Why or why not?
- Is there any way Charles would have been better off if he'd been more humble? How might his life have gone differently?
Chew on This
In Citizen Kane, we learn that pride (as always) is the number one cause of a man's downfall.
Citizen Kane reminds us that pride is a great thing if you are wise enough to know when you're wrong.