Modern Times story
Modern Times is a 1936 American comedy film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin in which his iconic Little Tramp character struggles to survive in the modern, industrialized world. The film is a comment on the desperate employment and financial conditions many people faced during the Great Depression — conditions created, in Chaplin's view, by the efficiencies of modern industrialization. The movie stars Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Tiny Sandford and Chester Conklin. It is notable for being the last time that Chaplin portrayed the iconic Little Tramp character.
16 total · 10 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| capitalism | major | the initial factory part showed how the capitalist system made factory owners treat workers as components in a machine to be optimized |
| compromising one's ethical principles vs. great need | major | there were numerous instances of poor down-and-out people stealing food because they couldn't afford it, including Ellen at one point stealing a loaf of bread |
| cracking under pressure | major | the Tramp finally went nuts due to excessive stress working in the factory |
| dehumanization | major | the initial factory part showed how the capitalist system made factory owners treat workers as components in a machine to be optimized |
| husband and wife | major | after watching a happy married couple, Tramp and Ellen decided to act in a similar idealized manner |
| infatuation | major | the Tramp and Ellen became besotted with each other after he stepped in to save her from the police |
| rich character vs. poor character | major | we saw various upper class people (factory owner, store manager, prime minister) contrasted with various lower class ones (the Tramp, unemployed, petty criminals) |
| theft | major | Ellen got by by stealing food. The Tramp took things when he could and also in order to be put back in jail. |
| unemployment in society | major | the Tramp flitted from job to job; signs of unemployment were everywhere; and Ellen's father was unemployed |
| workers' rights | major | the initial factory part showed how the capitalist system made factory owners treat workers as components in a machine to be optimized |