Charlie Chaplin use ("Easy Street", 1917). He often explored these topics ironically, making comedy out of suffering. Social commentary was a feature of Chaplin's films from early in his career, as he portrayed the underdog in a sympathetic light and highlighted the difficulties of the poor. Later, as he developed a keen interest in economics and felt obliged to publicise his views, Chaplin began incorporating overtly political messages into his films. "Modern Times" (1936) depicted factory workers in dismal conditions, "The Great Dictator" (1940) parodied Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini and ended in a speech against nationalism, "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) criticised war
Charlie Chaplin portrayed by Robert McClure in both productions. In 2013, two plays about Chaplin premiered in Finland: "Chaplin" at the Svenska Teatern, and "Kulkuri" ("The Tramp") at the Tampere Workers' Theatre. Chaplin has also been characterised in literary fiction. He is the protagonist of Robert Coover's short story "Charlie in the House of Rue" (1980; reprinted in Coover's 1987 collection "A Night at the Movies"), and of Glen David Gold's "Sunnyside" (2009), a historical novel set in the First World War period. A day in Chaplin's life in 1909 is dramatised in the chapter titled "Modern Times" in Alan Moore's "Jerusalem"