Tramping it out: Charlie chaplin and the modern

Abstract

Cinema as an art form struggled to find its place in the modernist canon until the Tramp, a populist figure, established itself as the icon of modernity itself.i This paper is an attempt to explore different tropes of the Tramp existing across disciples and perspectives. By understanding the politics of the characterization of the Tramp, I attempt to enter the realm of modernity through Charlie Chaplin, the ultimate Tramp who addresses modernist concerns with a critical yet humorous account of the crises of human identity in the modern world.