SOCIAL ISSUES IN CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S "MODERN TIMES"

Modern Times is a 1936 comedy directed, written, and starring Charlie Chaplin. It is acknowledged as one of his best pictures. The picture skates on thin ice between comedy and satire, as well as giving insight on the socio-economic aspects of American society in the 1930s, as well as the effects of the Great Depression.

Viewers are shown a country ripped apart by poverty and paranoia, where ordinary people find themselves at the mercy of the world around them.

The beginning depicts the odds and stress that a person faces as a result of work pressure. The person becomes so accustomed to performing the same tasks over and over that he does it in places where he is not supposed to. As seen in the film, Charlie Chaplin was hospitalized simply for working while not at his job. Unemployment is a serious problem. It leads to hunger, and greed leads to theft. He gets directed to the prison for no reason by an innocent person who has no clue what he is doing. Charlie worked hard wherever he could in the film. However, all he did was make minor errors such as shoving his boss into a machine, sailing off from the ship, and failing to serve the guests on time. These shortcomings are not enough for someone losing their employment. This is inequitable. People are stressed and tense at work, which causes them to make mistakes. Too much work, it is claimed, has a negative impact on a person's health. If a person who behaves well in prison is given the opportunity to work, they are labelled as trustworthy and an honest person who is qualified for any position. When someone protests for their own rights, they are thrown back to prison, where they will remain until they prove themselves as innocent or honest again. 

Charlie Chaplin attempts to go to prison after failing to get employment several times in order to obtain decent food, life, and happiness. He thinks solving his hunger issue is much more necessary than finding employment. This is what prompted him to take his lover to the store where he worked and ask her to rest and eat the food from the pantry. He was again imprisoned after being caught asleep. Tired with his problems, he intends to end them by moving to another nation and living in peace with his girlfriend. He strives to find work till the end, but eventually gives up in his own country and moves to another in the hopes of finding work.