Citizen Kane: Civil War Scene

I found one of the most interesting parts of Citizen Kane to be the “Civil War scene”.  In this scene, a young Charles Kane is handed over to Thatcher by his mother after discovering their new wealth.  It opens with an establishing shot of a snowball flying into the sign “Mrs. Kane’s Boarding House” and then cuts to a deep focus as Mrs. Kane yells out “be careful Charles!” This sequence informs the viewer that this takes place in Charles’ childhood home when he was still only a boy.  The camera then zooms out, keeping a deep focus, and frames Charles in the window between his mother and Thatcher as they talk.  This shot is really interesting because it visually symbolizes the whole situation occurring.  The constant deep focus makes it clear that while Charles is not actually in the conversation, he is just as significant as his mother and Thatcher.  Additionally, the frame created around Charles by the window places an added importance on him, and conveys to the viewer that Charles is the subject of everything taking place in the scene.  The two parents and Thatcher then walk in to the next room to officially sign over Charles. While Mr. and Mrs. Kane argue over the proper way to raise their son, Charles can still be seen through the window and heard shouting as he reenacts a Civil War battle.  His playful conflict symbolizes the civil war that is occurring inside the house between his mother and father.  This is a well-executed example of using cinematic techniques to strengthen the narrative and further absorb the audience into the story.