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A review by moonsiren23
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“I am the phantom, it is because man's hatred has made me so. If I am to be saved, it is because your love redeems me.”
It’s your classic gothic novel with themes of isolation, loneliness, love, possession, and, of course, dangerous obsession. The mystery of the phantom that haunts the Paris opera house and the opera house itself takes the reader on a journey. Erik the Phantom is characterized as the villain, but I feel he is lashing out and reacting in a way that reflects the duality of human nature. He’s grotesque to look at and, therefore, is treated as a monster. If you’re told you’re a monster, a “living corpse,” then you begin to become one. Locked in a life of loneliness, Erik then hears the lovely Christine, who instead turns to him as her “angel of music” as he teaches her how to sing better. She then gains more notoriety and stage time. Therefore, she turns to him more. This man has been desperate for attention. He then proceeds to use his beauty and madness against her. Eventually, he learns she loves another and, overcome with jealousy, kidnaps her. While Erik does a LOT wrong, he is simply a man wanting to be loved. “ I want a nice quiet apartment like everyone else with ordinary doors and windows and a proper Wife..… I want a wife whom I can love, take out on Sundays, and keep using the rest of the week. Oh, you would never be bored with me! “This line broke my heart. Erik the Phantom deserved better.
It’s your classic gothic novel with themes of isolation, loneliness, love, possession, and, of course, dangerous obsession. The mystery of the phantom that haunts the Paris opera house and the opera house itself takes the reader on a journey. Erik the Phantom is characterized as the villain, but I feel he is lashing out and reacting in a way that reflects the duality of human nature. He’s grotesque to look at and, therefore, is treated as a monster. If you’re told you’re a monster, a “living corpse,” then you begin to become one. Locked in a life of loneliness, Erik then hears the lovely Christine, who instead turns to him as her “angel of music” as he teaches her how to sing better. She then gains more notoriety and stage time. Therefore, she turns to him more. This man has been desperate for attention. He then proceeds to use his beauty and madness against her. Eventually, he learns she loves another and, overcome with jealousy, kidnaps her. While Erik does a LOT wrong, he is simply a man wanting to be loved. “ I want a nice quiet apartment like everyone else with ordinary doors and windows and a proper Wife..… I want a wife whom I can love, take out on Sundays, and keep using the rest of the week. Oh, you would never be bored with me! “This line broke my heart. Erik the Phantom deserved better.