Chaplin’s works in general are some of the most accessible films to date. He was not popular without reason. Chaplin understands the spirit of life so well that he can relate to all times.
Modern Times comically and concernedly shows the workers as slaves to the factory technology. The factory workers become machines themselves, and when Chaplin demonstrates human traits (ex. smoke break in the bathroom) the head boss rebukes him. The workers must conform to the demands of the factory; their value lies in nothing more than material output. However, factory life was the life of honest survival. People need jobs in order to eat. The sad truth is that to stay alive in these conditions, one must surrender part of his/her humanity. Today, we may understand to a greater degree the demand for domestic product over the concern for life in the workplace. With the industrial age, jobs became life, rather than something needed for survival.
Chaplin cannot conform. The repetition of the workplace causes a nervous breakdown, which allows Chaplin to express fully his humanity. He cannot surrender himself to a product. The inability to conform preserves the ideals that Chaplin holds. He remains human, and for this rash outbreak of life, Chaplin finds himself in prison. What is sad is that prison is more humane than the workplace.
In prison, Chaplin finds food and shelter. He has more freedom than at the job, and at least in prison he does not have to conform to some machine. Prison offers more than the world, which is sad for it boldly questions in what ways we are free.
The only thing that keeps Chaplin out of prison is another human. He accidentally meets her while trying to make his way back to prison. He selfishly does a kind deed, and thus begins a relationship. But the relationship evolves from a self-interested one to one of genuine concern. As they make their way in life together, Chaplin decides that he will even surrender part of himself in order to get a job to provide for her.
She, the gamin, on the other hand, can take care of herself. She steals food for herself and others; she escapes the law to live independently. She finds the house for Chaplin to live. She finds a job, and even ends up finding Chaplin a job. However, she is not so independent as to be aloof. She cooks and cleans for Chaplin. Chaplin likewise provides for her by entertaining her in his new job. Both provide for each other, make sacrifices, and struggle together to survive the cruel world.
The movie, then, discusses the dichotomy between idealism and realism. The tramp and the gamin long for the good life, which at times they imagine as the middle class home (paradise to them). They long to live within the social structure, to have nice things, food to eat, a place to sleep. They want the ideal of society, but cannot find it in reality. Ultimately the life they, as vagabonds, create is more utopian than reality. The do live with their dreams, and do not surrender their identity. In the end (SPOILER), they are outcasts of society, but their dreams and their ideals keep them happy. They can smile because they have life, something that society has forgotten.
The movie does not completely disregard society; that is why the tramp and the gamin want very much to be a part of it. The sound reinforces the themes of technology intruding, but also does not condemn technology. The sound adds to the dichotomy of idealism and realism. It interlaces the film with reality and fantasy. The one time that Chaplin speaks, he embodies life and becomes real. In his imperfections, Chaplin becomes the perfect example of humanity.