The Male Tramp And The Female Gamin

Modern Times blurred the modernized social norms and expectations pertaining to gender roles and rules that were associated with the first half of the twentieth century. The two primary characters of the film, the male tramp and the female gamin, were each characterized with gender specific qualities and characteristics that purposefully contradicted each character’s sex. Essentially there was a gendered role-reversal between the man and the woman throughout most of the film. At first it would seem that the film was advocating for such innovation and authenticity. However, the film ultimately concluded that the pursuit of such authenticity, through non-traditional gender roles and rules, was sure to result in chaos and dysfunction. The
Socially a man was expected to take control of a situation, to lead, and to conquer in any way possible. The tramp portrayed the opposite. One of the jail scenes opened with the sounds of birds chirping and was declared to be “happy in his comfortable cell.” When pardoned from jail, he begged and pleaded to remain because while in jail he was effortlessly provided for and protected. Instead of facing the struggle of finding work and fighting for what he wanted, the tramp chose the simple and less challenging option. He wanted to have his role, and the expectations of such, defined for him, which was a socially acceptable position for a woman to take. The female gamin was portrayed to have starkly contrasting characteristics and qualities to those of the tramps’. She was predominantly portrayed as strong-willed and determined in every endeavor; qualities socially associated with men. When her father was out of work and failed to provide for her and her two sisters, the gamin took it upon herself to steal some bananas and during such she fearlessly taunted and then skillfully eluded the police. In this scene she was depicted holding a knife in her mouth and aggressively taking what she wanted, determined not to let her family go
In the final scene, the tramp, who up to this point had demonstrated predominantly feminine characteristics and had been weak, passive, and unable to provide for the gamin, was now portrayed to be the steadfast and proactive male typical to modern times in the first half of the twentieth century. The gamin, after all of her trials, challenges, and accomplishments, was portrayed as having an emotional breakdown and consequently lacking the will to continue in her