Sociological Implications of Modern Times: A Detailed Analysis

This essay provides a sociological analysis of Charlie Chaplin's film 'Modern Times,' focusing on the opening scene. It examines the film's portrayal of work, organizations, and the impact of the Great Depression, exploring concepts such as conformity, obedience, and the division of labor. The essay connects specific scenes from the movie to sociological theories and concepts, demonstrating how the film reflects the social and economic conditions of the time. It highlights the dehumanizing effects of industrialization and the challenges faced by workers in a capitalist society. The analysis draws upon course materials from the chapters on organizations and the economy and work, providing a comprehensive understanding of the film's sociological significance and the filmmakers' use of sociological imagination.

Running head: SOCIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF “MODERN TIMES”
Sociological Implications of “Modern Times”
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1SOCIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF “MODERN TIMES”
After the end of the First World War, the entire world heaved a sigh of relief. The horrific
events witnessed in such a disastrous and traumatic war had finally come to an end. The various
economies of the world, especially those who took an active participation in the war, were left
ravaged and desolate (Brock, Timothy). The initial economic boom which was experienced
during the course of the First World War due to the high sales of arms and ammunitions, came to
an end with the end of the War. As such, the world entered in to period of economic depression.
This economic depression was so deep rooted that it was termed as the Great Depression and all
the economies of the world experienced widespread recession in terms of high level of
unemployment and a rapidly decreasing value of money. This essay seeks to discuss the ideas of
organization and employment as seen in the movie “Modern Times” of Charlie Chaplin. The
essay analyzes various sociological terms and theories in relation with the movie.
The movie of “Modern Times” of Charlie Chaplin shows a machine which needs to be
worked upon by the employees of that particular organization. The black and white color of the
movie is a reiteration on the dullness of the entire mechanistic structure (Harte, Tim). The
workers are seen to be working on that machine day in and day out without any interruption.
This part of the movie shows a clear indication of the very nature of a private organization. In a
capitalist state structure, the private players are given a free reign to conduct their business
activities. The ultimate aim of a private player is to earn a higher margin of profit. Such a profit
motive of the organizations has instilled the concept of conformity in the employees working in
the industry. The phase of Economic Depression had adverse impact on the human population
(Rossouw, Martin). The value of money decreased immensely while material things essential for
survival became extremely valuable. This necessitated the people to take extreme measures and

2SOCIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF “MODERN TIMES”
perform any activity. In this respect, the sociological issue of conformity was seen where people
simply flocked to the industries and started to work there in a mechanical manner in order to earn
the basic level of subsistence (Rice, Shelley).
Moreover, the movie also shows the use of a guinea pig whose main purpose is to test
out a new innovation. The employers of the organization are seen to trying to innovate a new
method by which the workers would be kept well-fed without the necessity of taking a break in
between their work. As such, the main aim of the employers is not to provide any lunch breaks to
the workers, which can be avoided. The non-resistance of the employees to such an innovation
showcases the implementation of another sociological concept of obedience to authority. This
concept shows how much a person can obey the dictates of the employer before they start to
protest against it (Levin, Ori). This scenario also points to the sociological idea of timetables in
a formal organization (Levin, Ori). Timetables are important in an organization for the purposes
of ensuring that the workers are able to work in an efficient manner so that their production
levels are not affected. In the movie, it is shown that if the workers are not required to take break
for lunch, then their productivity will increase.
The movie also depicts the aspect of specialization. The workers are seen to be carrying
out the same monotonous work throughout the day without much change in their nature of work.
This shows the use of the sociological concept of division of labor. The workers have their own
fixed domain of work and the industry compels them to work on their specialty without any
chance of trying to learn something new and innovative (Wierzbicki, James). This hampers the
growth process of the human beings to a considerable extent. There is no development on the
part of a worker as he does the same work over and over again.

3SOCIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF “MODERN TIMES”
In conclusion, it is observed that the entire movie is very mechanical in nature, trying to
prove the point that the Great Depression experienced by the world has molded the people in to
machines. The need for money is so dire that human beings are willing to compromise on their
humane nature for the purpose of earning an extra dollar or two. In the drama it is seen that the
workers, although unwilling, are compelled to work in a monotonous manner as they have to
earn their basic means of subsistence in order to survive. Such a nature of the capitalist world has
taken away all the desires of people to follow their dreams and engage in those activities which
makes them happy. This is because at the end of the day it is the monetary needs which is most
important.

4SOCIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF “MODERN TIMES”
References:
Brock, Timothy. "Modern Times. Preserving and Performing Film Scores by Charles
Chaplin." Journal of Film Preservation94 (2016): 97.
Harte, Tim. "The Chaplin Machine: Slapstick, Fordism and the Communist Avant-Garde."
(2017): 755-757.
Levin, Ori. "Abstraction and mass culture: Chaplin’s reception and the international language of
film." Early Popular Visual Culture (2018): 1-15.
Rice, Shelley. "Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times (Reviewed by Shelley Rice)." Public Voices 4.2
(2017): 93-101.
Rossouw, Martin P. "Of metaphor and machine: some nuts and bolts behind Modern times as
philosophy." Image & Text: a Journal for Design 30.1 (2017): 38-72.
Wierzbicki, James. "The ‘Silent’Film in Modern Times." Music and Sound in Silent Film: From
the Nickelodeon to The Artist(2018): 74.