Keaton had a more modern view of the relationship between the individual and systems. The character that Keaton developed, the stone-faced individual, fit this world-view:
Keaton's reputedly 'blank-faced' expression actually reflects the deadly concentration of someone trying to find his place within a system too large and too intricate for him to control. Keaton projects not the freedom of the open road but the plight of modern man trying to find, within a chaos of fast-moving traffic and demonic machinery, a spot where he won't get hurt (Gunning 14).
Chaplin ended most of his films by walking away down the road, the Tramp headed away from whatever disaster had befallen him and asserting his freedom before his next encounter. Keaton did not walk away but instead usually triumphed in spite of himself. In his short "Sherlock Jr.," Keaton comes to terms with the medium in which he excelled as he plays a projectionist who becomes part of the films he shows. The way the character stands nearly immobile as the scene around him changes with each reel sets him apart from the chaos of the system, though at times he is placed in danger and tossed around by the images in which he finds himself. In the end, the whole thing proves to be a dream, but it is a dream that always reflected the state of the character's own life.
The slapstick for both comedians is expressed in physicality. Keaton runs from authority figures and slips and slides around objects such as a fence or gate, while Keaton interacts with a variety of mechanical devices. Keaton's single-minded concentration and sad mien serves him in film after film as he seems a point of calm and continuity in the midst of growing chaos. One of his most famous scenes is in The General when he sits on the external drive shaft on a locomotive and remains seated as the locomotive moves down the track. In Seven Chances, Keaton sits in a church waiting for his bride to show up as ...