An Unusual Incident in the Basement of the Largest Opera House in France

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The narration begins by candidly professing to the reader that the 'Opera Ghost' of the Palais Garnier indeed existed; his residence within the opera house went deeper than any myth or legend. A foreword from Gaston Leroux further chronicles his quests at the National Academy Of Music and throughout France, in which he sought to unearth the tale of Erik, renowned Opera Ghost. It was through these endeavors by which he successfully discovered the truth about The Phantom’s reign of terror over the Garnier.

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Albeit, that the accounts relayed by Leroux have been falsified, there is some basis of truth to the novel. The lake below the Palais Garnier (which Erik allegedly deemed his home) was no invention of Leroux’s mind, and is in fact a real structure that still remains at the opera house. However, it is impossible to ascertain if the proceedings that follow truly transpired.

The saga is centralized around a love affair involving Erik (a man with a facial disfigurement who has become a recluse from society), Christine (an ingenue and gifted soprano) and Raoul (a dapper young man of power).

Raoul and Christine became familiarized with one another when they were both mere children. Christine was singing on the streets of Perros, France alongside her father, an esteemed violinist, when without warning, her red shawl floated off into the sea. Raoul, a passerby, happened to be so captivated by Christine's voice and charm, that he ran into the ocean to fetch it for her.

Their fondness for one another continued to flower until the unforeseen passing of M. Daaè. Christine having had both her parents perish, was forced to live with her new benefactress, Me. Valèrius, far, far from her dear Raoul. She remained under such care until she began her career as a songstress at the Palais Garnier, where Raoul was a patron and frequent attendee.

The Phantom first becomes acquainted with Christine under the ruse that he was her 'Angel of Music.' When Christine was a young girl, M. Daaè would always tell her stories of a spirit who comes to every musician once in their life, to guide them towards excellence, called the ‘Angel of Music.’ Prior to his death, Christine’s father promised her that when he was in heaven, he would send this angel to her. Unfortunately, this information falls into the wrong hands, as Erik begins to use Christine’s belief in this tale, to manipulate her into believing that he is her angel. Christine begins taking voice lessons with the voice she believes to be the spirit promised to her by her deceased father, while in reality, it is The Phantom she hears, who himself is becoming increasingly infatuated with his new student, so much so, that he ends up kidnapping Christine and trapping her in his lair beneath the opera house for several months. While pent-up beneath the stage on which she had performed on not long ago, Christine's inquiring mind begins to fester. She begins to wonder why the face of her captor is shielded by a white mask. (When Erik kidnapped Christine, he also revealed his physical form to her). She ends up unveiling Erik one night in the lair, to her surprise, revealing a face so deformed, that it was hardly a face at all. In a fit of embarrassment and rage, The Phantom releases Christine from his hold, betrayed and broken.

After being released, Christine confides in her old friend and recent attendee at the Palais Garnier, Raoul, the truth about her mysterious disappearance and flighty behavior, as well as her belief that she is always being watched by her former angel. Raoul now understands that he must do whatever it takes to free Christine from this menace; he vows to marry her, and carry her far, far away from this fiendish Phantom. Unbeknownst to the two of them, as this conversation unfolds on the rooftop of the Garnier, the Phantom is nearby, heartbroken over hearing Christine confess her love for the Viscount. Powered by rage, The Phantom brings Christine down into his lair once more, presenting her with an ultimatum; she has one day to decide to either spend her life with him, or Raoul. This ultimatum also comes with a price, for if she chooses Raoul, The Phantom has plans to kill everyone inside the opera house using gunpowder he has stored away. While Christine is contemplating her fate, Raoul and 'The Persian' (an old acquaintance of The Phantom's) come down to the cellar to try and save her, but end up stuck in Erik’s torture chamber. They are too late to save Christine, becauses as they find themselves trapped, she selflessly agrees to marry The Phantom, exchanging her freedom for the lives of the members of the opera.

When The Phantom notices that Raoul and 'The Persian' are inside his torture chamber, he concludes that he must drown them, in order to punish them for attempting to sneak up on him. Christine, however, is able to prevent their deaths by pledging her life to Erik, and the two men are delivered from the lair. The Phantom now removes his mask, and embraces Christine by planting a kiss on her brow, which to his surprise, is reciprocated. The Phantom is brought to tears by this display of affection, the only display of affection he has ever received. The Phantom's disfigurement has deemed him an outcast to society and as a result, he has never experienced intimacy with another individual before Christine. Finally a man, and no longer a monster, The Phantom grants Christine her freedom, as long as she will visit him on the day of his death. Christine leaves the lair, only to return on that fatal day, when Erik perished of a broken heart.

For my summer reading project, I was inspired to visually depict the final lair scene of The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom, who is believed this whole time to be a monster by design, reveals another side to his character during this scene in the book. Through the eyes of Leroux, we see a shattered man, whom society has turned its back on. A man who (though displays it in incredibly twisted and manipulative ways) has a love for Christine that is so sincere and true, he would risk anything for her. In this scene, The Phantom is able to let go of Christine, as well as the jealousy and hatred in his heart. At the end of the day, the bitter feelings that have ruled the Phantom’s life are no match for what he feels for Christine, allowing Erik to redeem himself in a way that makes all of us in the audience sympathize with a man who has fallen victim to social stigmatization and isolation.

Leroux's writing prevails as an exceptional work of Gothic horror, that is far more mysterious and sinister than your average 'Beauty and the Beast' tale. After completing this novel, it is evident to me the genius that has inspired so many interpretations of this classic tale, including now, one of my own.