The Kid Essay Questions

What is the significance of The Woman's picture burning in The Man's fire?

The fact The Woman's photograph falls into The Man's fire while he has his back turned is significant because it is a symbol of the state of their relationship. Chaplin begins the film showing The Woman leave a charity hospital, fretting over what she should do with her newborn child. To communicate to the audience that The Woman's relationship with the father of her child is strained, Chaplin shows The Man contemplating her photograph before it slips into the fire. Although The Man rescues it, he then throws the photo back into the fireplace to let it burn. In this symbolic gesture, Chaplin conveys—using only visuals—that the struggling artist is choosing to end his relationship with The Woman and not to take responsibility for their child.

Why is The Kid considered part of the slapstick genre?

The Kid belongs to the slapstick film genre because much of its humor derives from scenes of exaggerated violence, injury, and deliberately clumsy or embarrassing actions. A popular style of comedy in the Silent Era of the early 1900s, slapstick film emerged out of the British music hall tradition in which Chaplin got his start as a child. While The Kid doesn't feature the use of the physical slapstick from which the genre derives its name, the film depicts The Tramp stumbling into many scenarios in which his trademark mix of cunning and buffoonery help him escape cartoonish brawls.

Why is The Kid a landmark film for Charlie Chaplin?

While Charlie Chaplin had already co-starred in a feature film, The Kid is a landmark for Chaplin because it was his feature-length directorial debut. Along with producing, writing, and starring in the film, Chaplin carefully crafted the film's aesthetics based on childhood memories of living on welfare in the streets of London. Although many people tried to discourage Chaplin from combining slapstick comedy with sentimentality, the film's mix of humor and melodrama proved a critical and financial success. The mix of slapstick and sentiment became Chaplin's trademark formula, and The Kid is considered one of the greatest pictures of the Silent Era.

Why does Chaplin show The Tramp open a tin of cigar and cigarette ends?

In the scene that introduces Chaplin's iconic character, The Tramp strolls down a dirty alley while attempting to appear dignified with his shabby suit, gloves, bowler hat, and cane. To further establish his poverty, Chaplin provides a closeup shot of The Tramp sorting through a tin of cigarette and cigar ends he has presumably picked up off the street. Chaplin uses this symbol to communicate to the viewer that The Tramp cannot afford his cigarettes or cigars. A far cry from the wealthy family The Woman tried to leave her son with, The Tramp lives at the bottom rung of society. But despite his poverty, The Tramp will treat John with all the love and care The Woman's note asks of him.

What roles does sentiment play in The Kid?

Sentiment—exaggerated feelings of sadness, nostalgia, or tenderness—plays a significant role in The Kid as one of the film's most important themes. Although people advised against the unproven mix, in The Kid Chaplin set out to combine sentiment with the slapstick humor for which he was known. Sentiment arises early in the film with melodramatic scenes depicting The Woman abandoning her son, in the hope that he can have a better life than she could provide for him. The tone shifts with The Tramp's clumsy attempts to get rid of the baby he finds, but sentiment returns when he finds the note The Woman left with John. The viewer sees The Tramp's heart melt with new feelings of tenderness toward the boy. Chaplin returns to the theme of sentiment when The Tramp and John have their teary reunion on the back of the child welfare truck. Ultimately, Chaplin's gamble on the mix of sentiment and slapstick resulted in a memorable film that balances absurd humor with strong emotionality.