Susan Alexander Kane is the "singer", and the mistress of Charles Kane. Susan falls deeply in love with Kane, and they marry soon after Charles' first divorce (the second, being his and Susan's eventual separation). Kane and Susan are completely ignorant as to who each other's partner truly is; Susan thinks of Kane as a handsome, kind, and wealthy man. Kane thinks of Susan as an aspiring musician; an opera star of sorts. Kane believes that Susan wishes to become a better singer, but all she really wants is one thing: out. Susan even goes so far as to attempt suicide when she is forced to sing in her own opera house (that Kane built, of course) night after night in front of an audience that "doesn't want her". Susan is absolutely the most complex female character in Citizen Kane. Even though Susan isn't the brightest of characters, she is the most human and possibly the most relatable of characters in the film. Susan also fell victim to the loneliness that Kane's previous wife Emily had experienced in their marriage. Much like the female characters in the silent films of the age, Susan Alexander Kane was but a piece of furniture in her husbands life; a prize, a novelty. But even so, Susan Alexander Kane was a character with a personality, a history, and the capacity to express true emotion. In the silent film era, women were (ironically) verbally and emotionally silent, compared to the slightly more progressive "talkie" era.
-CriticNeutral
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