Marx’s Theory Of Alienation In Modern Times By Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times may appear simplistic on the surface. It comes off as a physical comedy viewed merely for laughs and nothing more. On the contrary, Chaplin’s film visually captures of Marx’s theory of alienation and how workers are exploited within a growing capitalistic society. It expresses their daily lives and the effect exploitation has upon them, while also alluding to issues concerning wealth, poverty, law, and love. However, Chaplin did not know of alienation as a philosophy, therefore how can he possibly provide a visual example of it?
Expressing an idea in writing first does not mean that the individual was the first person to express it. Philosophy can be realized without being discovered, and Charlie Chaplin does exactly this with Modern Times. Chaplin philosophizes about Marx’s theory of alienation. Alienation is described as the process where people become foreign to the world they are living in. The concept is embedded in religion and many theories agreeing that there was once a time people lived in harmony, but some imbalance happened which left people feeling like foreigners in their world. People had created culture and history through human labor, and in that creation had objectified human labor.
In Comments on James Mill, Marx claims, “My work would be a free manifestation of life, hence an enjoyment of life. Presupposing private property, my work is an alienation of life, for I work in order to live, in order to obtain for myself the means of life. My work is not my life. ” Marx believed alienation stemmed from the modern bourgeois society. Workers working for wages sell themselves to earn a living. Capitalists own the labor process; thus, the capitalist owns the labor of the worker. Working is done for no other purpose than to create a living for the person. It is for survival. Marx philosophizes that the only way to escape alienation in the workplace is for the human relationship in the labor process to be restored. People need to work with passion and expression. Their labor needs to represent more than simply putting food on the table. In order to understand more about how Chaplin is able to philosophize through film, it is important to understand his own background as he was a man followed by constant controversy. Chaplin was a director, producer, comedian, writer, and composer who is often considered the greatest comic artist of cinema and one of the most important figures in cinematic history.
Charlie Chaplin is best known for his classic character with a stick-on mustache and a cleverly used cane, “the Little Tramp. ” However, his famous alter-ego did not come about until his second film with Keystone, Kid Auto Races at Venice. Chaplin often portrayed an outcast or a misfit in his films. He played characters that faced horrid situations but always managed to find a way to move on into a new scenario or predicament. He went on to make many more wonderful films over the next 20 years, as well as marry and divorce an array of 16-year-olds. In 1936, Modern Times was released. It was a film that ended the silent film genre. Modern times incorporated classic styles from silent films with short amounts of dialog, even giving “the Little Tramp” a voice for the first time. Modern Times would also be the Tramp’s last cinematic feature.
Chaplin went on to make The Great Dictator in 1940, an explicitly political film where Chaplin portrayed both the dictator (resembling a great likeness to Adolf Hitler) and a Jewish man condemned to a concentration camp. The Great Dictator was quite a standout piece in comparison to Chaplin’s usual comedic pieces. After another 7 years, he released Monsieur Verdoux in 1947. Around this time, he began to be questioned for communist affairs. When asked to speak on it, he claimed, “I am not a communist. I am a peacemonger. ” Eventually, Chaplin was told with he was out of the United States, that he would be refused reentry if he did not give more answers about allegations towards him. He ran off to Switzerland, and he later released 4 more films and an autobiography. In 1972, he returned to the United States to accept an honorary Oscar for making cinema an important part of the arts. He passed away December 27, 1977, but he left an enormous mark on cinematography to this day.
Charlie Chaplin is no stranger from the political agenda. He quite clearly puts political messages in his films causing viewers to do more than just laugh. He puts a thought in the very back of one’s mind, causing them to question what is happening in the movie ever so slightly. Chaplin conveys exploitation in the workplace through entertaining bits. In Modern Times, Chaplin portrays a factory worker with no name. Why would he need one? He is simply another notch in the belt of the factory. He is merely a piece of machinery. One of the very entertaining moments of Modern Times is in a scene where Chaplin’ s character is tightening bolts in an assembly line, but if he stops to take a breath or wipe is forehead, he gets behind on his work and is yelled at. Later in the scene, they stop for a lunch break; Chaplin cannot stop doing the motion to tighten bolts on the assembly line. It strikes a laugh from the audience, but there is more behind the comedic actions. The nameless worker is completely overworked. The scene provides a caricature of a simple-minded man not made for anything except tightening bolts every moment he has got.
To further demonstrate the exploitation of workers, a machine is brought in to be tested on one unlucky assembly line member. The machine will feed them quickly and efficiently to eliminate the need for a lunch hour. Although watching the machine whack poor Chaplin across the face is rather entertaining, the example is truly heartbreaking. Chaplin’s character as well as the other factory workers have been completely dehumanized. Any personality Chaplin’s character appears to have is constantly attempted to be removed and normalized to the likeness of every other dreary worker. Due to the abuse and constant dehumanization he has faced in the workplace, Chaplin goes on to have a complete mental breakdown causing him to pull levers and destroy areas of the factory. Upon this destruction of property, Chaplin is promptly arrested and taken to prison.
Intimidated at first, Chaplin quickly warms up to his surroundings. He realizes he has a better life in prison than working in a factory. When he is finally let off for good behavior, he begs to remain in his jail cell. After being kicked out he even goes as far as committing small crimes to get put back in prison.
