of course, and very naturally being a fan of fairy tales, i disagree with christine's choice. especially in reading the book, i found raoul to be quite possesive, whiny, and irritating...maybe even a touch psychotic. of course, i found christine to be much the same, save the possesive bit...you can replace that one with confused or indecisive. but the point of my disagreement is why would you choose the possesive, whiny, irritating, and possibly psychotic raoul over the phantom? in the book, gaston leroux establishes that there wasn't really a phantom, but a man - no opera ghost, just erik. now, mind you, erik might as well have been a ghost or even christine's angel of music, for he was, inarguably i would think, much much more than a mere man. erik was a frighteningly genius man who happened to be an architect, a gentleman (as in knowing all the things a genleman or nobleman should), a composer, a voice teacher, a ventriliquist, a tenor with the voice of the gods, and a master of illusion and trap doors. basically, a jack of all trades. had erik had a normal face like any mere man, he would have been celebrated. he would have been well loved, admired, rich, and successful.

 

but what about all the psychotic killing and such, you ask. there would be no psychotic killing, erik would have been mentally sound and happy if he had a normal face. leroux describes erik's face as "death's head" and having skin like molten lava, making out to be quite ugly. but unlike most film adaptations, erik was born deformed, he didn't get his head caught in something or acid thrown upon his face, he was simply born that way. he was feared and hated by everyone he ever met, including his parents, until he met christine daae. now mind you, she hadn't seen him at that point, only heard him through her dressing room walls. she learned to love and trust the voice she believed to be her angel of music, and erik fell deeply and obsessively in love with her. i also believe that he wouldn't have fallen so deeply in love with her had he recieved cordial and kind words from ladies his whole life, but having met only hatred, fear, and disgust, he instinctively loves the first person with a kind word for him. it didn't help matters that she was beautiful and had an incredible voice.

 

upon meeting erik, seeing him, christine grew frightened of him and no longer loved him - she thought. see, she insists she doesn't love him, but whenever something happens, her first thought is her "poor, sad erik". and what's not to love? where raoul was rich and powerful and handsome, he was a mere man - petty, possesive, irritating - erik was so much more, as i've described, but horribly ugly. all poor erik wanted was someone to love him, to be able to live above ground and leave the cellars of the opera and his life as the opera ghost behind and lead a normal life and no one would give that to him. had he been shown love, had he not been passed over by a woman who practically pledged herself to him for a man more handsome, thus becoming insanely jealous, erik would have not been psychotic or murderous at all. had he had a normal face, he would have practically been a god.

 

the tragedy of this story infuriates you while it breaks your heart in pity for poor, sad erik. the beauty of his character is just amazing. though horribly misfigured, he was but a man and yet so much more than that. i like to think that had he had a normal face, he would not have been so incredible as a man, for his horrible face balances out all the beauty inside him and he would have had to give up some of that inner beauty that makes him so perfect for a beautiful face. my search for that all-encompasing beauty always finds me thinking of this story, this phantom...he's just...perfect.