IN THE FIRST SCENE OF CITIZEN KANE, one of the most famous films ever made, a powerful old man who is dying utters the mysterious word Rosebud. The symbolic meaning of this word is an important
clue to his character and to the unfolding narrative. Rosebud, whose meaning is not revealed
until the conclusion of the film, is an important personal symbol to Kane. It has meaning only for
Kane and not for the culture as a whole. The behavior of people in a culture is framed according
to a set of symbols or cultural ideas. This constitutes the overall design of the tapestry of their
culture. To understand people’s economic behavior, political behavior, and social behavior, one
must understand the system of cultural meanings that permeate these institutions. In their dayto-
day actions, people create and convey cultural meaning as they re-create their culture. How
they walk, how they dress, and how they talk all convey cultural meaning. When people change
their behavior, the meaning also changes. One must “read” culture like a text to understand the
meaning of cultural behavior.