The Phantom of the Opera Essay
Grace Whittemore
4/20/13
The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera is a story with many themes and many storylines, such as love, hatred, and good vs. evil. The theme that trumps the rest is that appearances are not what they seem. In The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux, appearances are not as they seem in the Opera Populaire. This is true from the way that the owners believe in the Phantom, how Christine is involved with Erik, and Raoul’s journey to learning about Erik. The new owners of the opera think that the Phantom of the Opera is just a sick joke, not that Erik is, in fact, like a phantom haunting the opera. They still have doubts about the existence of the phantom when horrible things start to happen around the opera. Soon after the going away party and welcoming party for the opera owners, both former and new, took place, the former owners show the new owners a rule book for their opera. Within is expenses for the “Phantom of the Opera”, the new owners, Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin, think that this is just a joke that the former owners are playing on them, “When the joke seemed to be lasting a bit too long, Richard, half jokingly, half in jest asked, ‘But what is it that this Phantom wants?’” (pg. 59). What they don’t realize is that the Phantom just wants to be respected and accepted. When the new owners still don’t believe in the Phantom, Erik takes measures a bit farther, “My dear directors, Then it’s war? If you still care about peace, here is my ultimatum. There are four conditions, as follows…Otherwise, this evening you will put on ‘Faust” in an auditorium that has a curse upon it. To a better understanding! Farewell. Ph. of the O” (pg. 105). The Phantom is capable of much more than just cursing an auditorium. Through many catastrophes, such as when Carlotta, the star singer, started to croak, or when the chandelier crashed into the audience, the owners still wouldn’t let themselves believe in the Phantom. Until they
4/20/13
The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera is a story with many themes and many storylines, such as love, hatred, and good vs. evil. The theme that trumps the rest is that appearances are not what they seem. In The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux, appearances are not as they seem in the Opera Populaire. This is true from the way that the owners believe in the Phantom, how Christine is involved with Erik, and Raoul’s journey to learning about Erik. The new owners of the opera think that the Phantom of the Opera is just a sick joke, not that Erik is, in fact, like a phantom haunting the opera. They still have doubts about the existence of the phantom when horrible things start to happen around the opera. Soon after the going away party and welcoming party for the opera owners, both former and new, took place, the former owners show the new owners a rule book for their opera. Within is expenses for the “Phantom of the Opera”, the new owners, Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin, think that this is just a joke that the former owners are playing on them, “When the joke seemed to be lasting a bit too long, Richard, half jokingly, half in jest asked, ‘But what is it that this Phantom wants?’” (pg. 59). What they don’t realize is that the Phantom just wants to be respected and accepted. When the new owners still don’t believe in the Phantom, Erik takes measures a bit farther, “My dear directors, Then it’s war? If you still care about peace, here is my ultimatum. There are four conditions, as follows…Otherwise, this evening you will put on ‘Faust” in an auditorium that has a curse upon it. To a better understanding! Farewell. Ph. of the O” (pg. 105). The Phantom is capable of much more than just cursing an auditorium. Through many catastrophes, such as when Carlotta, the star singer, started to croak, or when the chandelier crashed into the audience, the owners still wouldn’t let themselves believe in the Phantom. Until they