Social Issues in Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times"

    Social Issues In Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times"

 
Modern Times- one of the best work of art- a 1936 comedy, is written, directed and starred by Charlie Chaplin. It provides comments over the socio-economic aspects of the American society in the 1930s demonstrating the effects of the Great Depression. It shows how the modern society is being enslaved by the technology and in turn is struggling in the shackles of poverty and unemployment. The film is a whirlwind of emotional scenes with humour. The most grievous of issues are conveyed through the comedic cinematic scenes.

The main social issues highlighted in the movie were: 

MODERN TECHNOLOGY ENSLAVING MAN: 

The film talks about the way technology is enslaving man. The opening scene of the film portrays humans being pushed to fit in with machinery in this modern society.  The scene was made humorous by multiplying humans' pace to that of machines multiple times and at the end Charlie breaks down wreaking everything. This demonstrates that a monotonous work life can break a human: leaving no difference between machine and human beings.  The movie uses Gamine as a young, cheerful orphan who, together with Tramp, helped to portray the "Human Cost" of the Great Depression.

VICIOUS POVERTY: 

Viewers are shown a country torn apart by poverty and paranoia, where ordinary people, find themselves at the mercy of the world around them. The social issues of Poverty and Unemployment are highlighted through this. Throughout the movie, Tramp and Gamine had various escapades. The film concludes with the protagonists back on the road, i.e. Unemployed dur to the scarcity of jobs. While Tramp is shown as a hopeful common individual assuring Gamine that "everything will be fine. The poverty makes people helpless and forced to give up their lives and hopes of survival.

SCARCITY OF JOBS: 

There was a severe scarcity of jobs due to mismatch in availability and demands for jobs. In the movie a father commits suicide because he doesn’t get a job to raise his three daughters. Any vacancy would invite a lot of applicants eager to work even though they are inexperienced. The workers works in pathetic conditions just to earn a paltry of income.

HUNGER AND CRIME BECAUSE OF POVERTY: 

Due to lack of earnings and poverty people were forced to steal and rob for survival. This makes living quiet dangerous.

POOR WORKING CONDITIONS: 

The working conditions of the factory where Charlie works in pathetic. The workers wore dirty clothes and seemed like they are working for days without break.

 

HOPE AND CREATIVITY: 

The second half of the film demonstrates not only the film's overall theme, but also how hope, creativity, and individual liberty may lead to redemption and joy. 

Overall, the film concentrated on portraying the plight of people affected by industrialisation and the Great Depression in the 1930s. This movie teaches us a lot on its journey to convey the modern times controversy. It telecasts the sufferings of the man and the hopes they hold.