Raoul’s Defence
Alright, I’m getting more and more angry letters from people who are insisting that Raoul deserves an equal voice, so here is your opportunity to share your opinions on why you feel Christine made the right choice. I can’t say I agree with you, but I will still post your comments. 🙂
For those who think she should have stayed with Erik, visit Why Erik? instead.
What are your reasons for choosing Raoul?
From Queen of the Unknown:
(First of all, I disagree with the “Erik doesn’t love Christine, he’s just obsessed” comments. I think he does love her, but being the outcast from society he is, he doesn’t know how to show it.)
There, now that that’s over… |
From Susan Smith:
The phantom taught her to sing, while doing so he fell in love with with the only person in his life. He is handsome but a bit mad. He kills and why would we want Christine to stay with a man that none the less will have to hide because he is a wanted killer? We are clearly looking too much into this. It is a movie ( play ). |
From Blyss:
I think that Erik seems a little…unstable. |
From Christy:
My reason for choosing Raoul: The Phantom deceived Christine, first of all, secondly, Christine chose Raoul, deal with it… Raoul, instead of getting mad at the Phantom, being a gentleman pleads for Christine’s forgiveness, in the Lair scene. It’s Raoul… that’s the best reason. His voice is better, and lastly, his eyes are amazing. |
From C:
It’s rather easy (for me, at least) to see that Raoul and the Phantom represent love and lust, good and evil, respectively. Many of the reasons those who posted below me list his hotness (varies with the interpretation, doesn’t it?), talent, and devotion as marks in the Phantom’s favor. However, it’s seen in the last act (I forget the words) that it *wasn’t* his deformity which repulsed Christine, it was his reprehensible behavior. His background never took away personal choice, and he chose to murder and blackmail (and STEAL Raoul’s lovely song to woo her. That was a low blow. You could *see* his heart breaking!). So, in the end, I would hope whatever raging hormones I posess would not compromise my decision between a hot, twisted git or the rather innocent lover who would follow you to the bowels of hell. |
From Nikoll:
Because he is not a crazy man who destroys everything… |
From Amanda:
In a way I can understand why she chose Raoul. Raoul was safe, handsome, normal and just simply has loved her since childhood. I am not at all in favor of Christine’s choice but i can just understand. Erik is dangerous, dark, mysterious and angry…he has the power to kill without a second thought. Raoul would never do that. Raoul also cares for Christine but his love isn’t dark and charring…I think Christine just couldn’t live up to Erik’s overwhelming devotion and love. |
From Raoul:
Dear readers, I must say I feel rather insulted by the mass majority of people who feel that Christine would have been better off staying with Erik, the phantom. Not only did he murder in cold blood at least two people (of whom we know of, and it is known there have been other unknown victims), his mental health was in question. I simply cannot see any reason why he would love Christine “more” than I do, nor do I see how I was in the wrong for wanting to marry Christine myself. As for the comments on my theorised obsession with my image and those who go as far as to call me a “fop” in derogatory tones, I must remind you that Erik must have spent much time on his masks, make-up and wigs. Erik terrorised Christine with his obsession and his hypotising control of her life. He assumed the false position of her father’s angel, exploring her weaknesses and manipulating her emotions without thought for her own emotions, rather than his own. She has spent several hours bound to a chair in his lair, during which she attempted suicide from despair and fear of the marriage which he forced upon her. He desired to posess her, rather than any deeper love than infatuation of her voice and her image. He may have been a genius, but that does not justify any of his actions. Yours, Le vicomte Raoul de Chagny. |
From Vicky:
I agree that she should choose Raoul because they both actually love each other. I also like Erik, but if I were Christine, I would choose Raoul. I don’t know about her, but I’d hate to marry a man that I know he had murdered people. Raoul has never done that, and he clearly loves Christine so much that he would give his life for her. If someone is willing to do that, then they obiviously love that person. Also, he’s a very kind person, and that’s what she seemed to want. Also, with Raoul, she would have more freedom to go where she wants rather than having to stay in the phantom’s lair. I would hate to be cooped up like that. (No matter how cool Erik’s lair is ^^’) Besides, she kept repeating that she wants freedom, and this “love” that she has for the phantom is a mixture between fear and curiosity that almost killed Raoul. |
From Susan:
I have watched the movie a quite a few times now, probably not nearly as much as others. I have never read the books, never saw other movies/Broadway plays. Truthfully I didn’t even really know what the Phantom of the Opera was about until my friend and I watched it about a month ago. Like most of you I was angered when she choose Raoul. However I have come to understand why she did. I do believe she loved the Phantom, however she loved his voice and his talent more then anything. She believed him for a long time to be her Angle of Music. She however was frightened of him at one point she sings to Raoul. “Twisted every way. What answer can I give? Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live? Can I betray the man who once inspired my voice? Do I become his prey? Do I have any choice? He kills without a thought. He murders all that’s good. I know I can’t refuse and yet, I wish I could. Oh, God, if I agree. What horrors wait for me, in this, the phantom’s opera?” She is basically saying that she does love the Phantom however she is afraid he is going to kill her and doesn’t like the way he kills without a thought. I also do believe that she loves Raoul. She knew he would make a good husband and that she could live a perfectly happy life with him, but could she honestly lived happily with a man she both loved yet feared? I believe she made the choice she thought was best, even though I would have would have picked the Phantom since the reason of him being ‘insane’ is simply because no one showed no compassion to him except for Christine. I absolutely love the movie and can’t get enough of it. And my stomach turns upside down during the song “The Point of No Return.” I believe one of the best songs in the movie. Anyway that is just my opinion. |
From Kate S.:
Before I say anything, I’m going to point out that I’m actually for Erik, but I, too, think Raoul deserves an equal voice. Christine would possibly only fear/adore/be curious of Erik, but never truly love him, so she would really be living a half-life with him. |
From Twilight Geisha:
Okay, first and foremost, Christine is obviously deeply in love with Raoul, and hey, women have a right to chose who we think is best for us, and obviusly, she thinks Raoul is best for her. Yes, she does love the phantom, and his beautiful voice, but she only knew the phantom for a couple of months at the most, and she knew Raul most of her childhood. I should also point out that she loves the phantom out of pity. Raoul risked his life for Christine. all the phantom did was kill people. Oh, and this is a very personal reason why I think Christine chose to be with Raoul. The phantom only fell in love with Christine’s beauty and voice. Raoul loves her for what’s inside, The Phantom lusts for her, he dosen’t love what’s on the inside. (Or know what’s on the inside.) |
From LadyAnubis:
Of course Christine made the right choice. Who would want to live a life with a murderer in a dark cave? If you’ve read the original book you know what a creepy character Erik really is |
From Joanna:
I make icons for POTO on live journal, and I hate that I get less recognition for my Christine and Raoul icons. On live journal, all of the young girls have become obsessed with Erik and Christine as lovers. You can see they are following a trend and not an opinion. It worries me cause if they liked Erik better as a lover, they are saying obsessive and controlling men are okay. Raoul is more sincere in his love and most anyone can see that. I love both Raoul and Erik as character, but as a lover for Chrisitne, I believe Raoul gets it. |
From Kate:
I’d go with raoul if it was Steve….. but this isn’t the place for talk like that. Raoul did risk his life for her, and he truly wanted her to be safe and happy. |
From Shadowsong:
The fact is, Erik is a murderer. Based on musical canon, he has killed at least twice, and based on Leroux canon, he’s killed several other times. For all his genius, his music, his inner beauty, the fact remains that he is a killer. A murderer. Raoul, on the other hand, is safe and very likely incapable of the crimes which are part of what makes Erik (arguably) so attractive. |
From Wise Owl:
When I was younger I was SO caught up the the romanticism of the story that I really thought the Phantom loved Christine, and I thought Raoul was a boring interfering prat. Now I see that a controlling, violent and obsessive man like Erik can have no idea what love is. Its certainly not the kind of love I’d want someone to have for me. Its damn scary! I’m quite disturbed that I bought into it as a teenager, but really it goes with all the Hollywood plots – that how you really show love for someone is by stalking, threatening and never giving up or letting go, even if the woman has said NO. …shudder… That said, I still love the story and I’m going to see the live show later in the year (!) I just see the characters from a different perspective now. It all means something different to me now. |
From Sal:
I am completely emotially detached from this argument – which I suspect makes me a bit different to most of the people who post here. I think that Christine would choose Raoul for one reason and one alone and that is that he, unlike Erik, hasn’t murdered anyone. She would stay with him and love him in a luke warm fashion and regret that she wasn’t a little braver for the rest of her life. The tragedy would be that Raoul would know this but NEVER LET HER KNOW that he knew it because he too loved her past the point of common sense. |
From Kat:
I have always felt that what Christine experiences with Erik is a passion that is frightening to her rather than exciting. She is thoroughly seduced by him, he uses the most powerful way to control her, and that is through music. I think when she is with him, she is under his spell. However, in the light of day, this gripping desire frightens her, and she does not recipricate his feelings. Raoul is the man she loves, the one she feels safe with, the one she tries to protect when she fears Erik is after them. He, in turn, risks his life to save her. Erik can give her passion, but Raoul can give her love, and she returns it without needing to be seduced by him. |
From Alkyon:
Perfect match. This is the choice all women ought to make. Yes, Erik is charismatic, sensual, a genius, a singer, passionate, with great depth…but he has also many, many issues to solve…Christine is not the kind of woman to handle that, no woman can and/or should for that matter… Well, I guess, I would go with Raoul to be on the safe side… Although the phantom would probably haunt my every night… |
From Fpiet:
HE RISKS HIS LIFE FOR HER! I MEAN, WHAT MORE DOES A GUY HAVE TO DO! (coming from the male perspective here) |
From Robert Brown:
At the end of the day the Phantom is a murderer. He kills Buquet and Piangi. Raoul does not. Phantom is very spiteful and harsh towards Christine. He forces her down to his lair at the end. He strangles Raoul by the neck. He is gifted but so is Raoul. He is a strong swimmer. He went into the sea to fetch Christine’s scarf. They were childhood sweethearts and have shared many memories together. My Grandma always says, “You remember what you did when you were young when you are old more than you remember anything in the present tense.” I agree with her. This applies to Christine. She will always have kind thoughts towards Raoul. He was her saviour. The Phantom can be spiteful towards her. “You try my patience. Make your choice.” He is very cruel. O.K. So he can be kind, he is gifted and he is remarkable but Christine chose the right man. |
From Sisi_Chi:
Four words: Steve Barton is LUV! That’s my personal reason for choosing Raoul right there, besides all of the that silly stuff about Erik being an extremely mentally unstable individual, etc. etc. etc. 😀 If Christine DID choose Erik, that relationship wouldn’t be a healthy one. At all. And unhealthy relationships are rarely happy ones; in fact, Christine and the Phantom’s relationship is never the slightest bit healthy from the start (it starts out based on deceit). Erik sees Christine as his possession, and although he loves his possession, that love makes him a jealous captor who will do anything to hold onto his possession (even kill a fellow human being). And Christine, in turn, is terrified of his capabilities and certainly resents being his captive — that’s why she cannot love him. Could you love someone who treated you like an exotic animal or a fine vase? No, because love has a basis in respect. And you can’t respect someone who treats you like an object (i.e. Erik). If Christine and Erik did end up together, they would just grow farther apart and even more unhappy with each other — Erik would become even more jealous and possessive, especially once he realized that Christine would never love him as he desired, and Christine would never grow closer to him because he’d always be holding her captive mentally and physically. She’d resent him, he’d resent her. Psychologically, that’s what happens in relationships with those dynamics. Christine was wise to choose Raoul – as far as we know, he doesn’t view Christine as an object but rather more as an equal. And when the significant other is viewed as an equal, the relationship has a much higher chance of being a happy one. Erik and Christine would have made each other miserable — Erik might have adored her with every bone in his body, but that doesn’t change the dynamics of their relationship . . . and their relationship was built on deceit and thrived on possession, not love. |
From Aaron:
I thought that since I put in an arguement for Erik, Raoul does deserve at least a say, after all, Christine did choose him. Erik is a genius, in every single way. He lives in a world that still fills people’s imaginations. He’s extremely dramatic and passionate. Simply said, not everyone wants that. I think when it gets down to it the line “This haunted face holds no horror for me now” completely sums Christines feelings about Erik. She didn’t leave him for his face, it was because of all the things that made him unique when Christine only wanted someone normal to be with. Also let’s be honest with ourselves here: How many people want their husband or wife to know exactly what they are doing at all times? How many people want their love to be able to control them completely with only the sound of their voice? Erik=genius, eccentric, somewhat dangerous Raould= boring, but safe. |
From Melissa:
Raoul’s really sexy and they look good together and if she had have chose Erik her life would be misreble because …..all of a sudden he could get mad and KILL someone….like Raoul. Also Raoul would take care of her instead of Erik getting mad all the time. |
From Dragonfly:
So here’s the thing, growing up I loved the Phantom story, and I kind of resented Christine for leaving him. Cause even when I pictured him as a skinny, ugly dude I still loved him and wanted to be his friend and help him out. Plus he could play the organ and knew lots of cool hiding places which I thought was totally cool! And in the film version, The Phantom (Gerard Butler) was so hot, it didn’t even matter he was slightly psycho. But the story would have simply lost it’s charm and become a fairytale if Christine would’ve gone for Erik. And besides Erik was, because of his genius mind and his appearance, not really part of this world like Christine and Raoul were. The Phantom, holds a kind of power over Christine, just like Don Juan holds a kind of power over women. But he’s not meant to be with her just like Don Juan isn’t meant to be with any of his conquests. Ok, I’ve written too much already. In conclusion: Raoul is the right choice for Christine, and let’s give it up for her for making that right choice even when The Phantom is as hot as he is played by Gerard Butler. 🙂 |
From Juju:
Raoul’s really hot! My boyfriend looks just like him as a fact… his voice sings much more sweetly compared to erik. he seems as though he would do much more for christine since he would risk his life for her… especially with all the sweet songs that he sings for her/ with her. Lets face it he has a lot of money ( so he can give her more that way) he can show his face in public with her unlike erik and that gives her more social life then she would have had with erik. i don’t mean to bad mouth him… he’s a wonderfull guy too… i just think it would make the relationship alot easier to last then it would be with erik who has control and self esteem issues. my boyfriend is funny; his personality is like erik but his face is like raouls… he’s great. they are both great but Raoul has the advantage. plus if you think about it christiene knows raoul better, i mean they grew up together they just share more. and if i were here i would not want to life in a basement, or have to deal with all the ritiquel of the people who didn’t understand or who feared my husband. Her reputation is bad enough froom being taught by that murderer let alone having to go into hiding for the rest of her life for someone that she didn’t love as much or enjoy kissing as much either. But if i were her i might have still been friends with erik if i could… i mean the poor tourtured soul is all alone, however i wouldn’t want to rub it in his face that i was with raoul and not him… that would hurt him more. |
From Ginevra:
Really, I wanted the phantom to win Christine’s heart throughout most of the show, but I decided that Raoul was better for one simple reason: The phantom is a psychotic homicidal lunatic! I mean, do you honestly want to live with someone who strangles people when they annoy him? What if you accidentally did something to make him angry? I personally would faint every time he looked at me! I want to be clear that this is pretty much the only reason I even considered pulling for Raoul. He’s sweet and all that, but he has absolutely no sex appeal. I couldn’t imagine being in a relationship with a man that has only one setting: cuddle. It’s like not being able to change the thermostat. Ah, well…better than living with a guy who would have received a complementary frontal lobotomy from the British in the 1800’s. |
From Alicia:
Although Erik was extremely passionate abput Christine (bordering on the verge of obsession), Raoul possessed equally strong emotions which manifested themselves in a less dramatic form than Erik’s, ie, he did not kill or kidnap to win her heart and this therefore makes the reader feel his emotions did not run as deeply which is totally false. Don’t get me wrong…….I LOVE Erik and I wished it worked out for him but the fact of the matter is I don’t think Christine truly loved him and therefore,did not deserve him. To her, he was either her Angel of Music, and after she saw his face, an angel from Hell. On the other hand, I truly believed she loved Raoul and he reciprocated her feelings… and as someone said earlier, I don’t think she would have betrayed Raoul nor would she have sacrificed her chastity outside of wedlock. What Christine and Raoul had was a solid, deep abding love whereas her relationship with Erik bordered on fascination on her part and obsession on his and neither forming the basis for a healthy relationship. In the end, all things considered, although both men loved her dearly, she and Raoul deserved eachother because their feelings for eachother were reciprocated and I think they were more suited to eachother. And for those of you who said Raoul did not love Christine… the man was willing to die for her freedom, so I think that’s saying enough. Erik was wonderful but I do not think he and Christine were meant to be… |
From Meg:
First of all let me say that I love Erik much more then Raoul. And pretty much everyone does too. But for some reason Christine loved Raoul not Erik. I thought Christine was crazy for thinking this for the longest time until I had my own phantom moment. Kinda… This guy liked me and I didn’t feel that way back. I told him this and he threated to kill my family and friends if I didn’t love him back. It scared the crap out of me and just made me hate him more. It’s the same thing Erik did to Christine. She was afraid for the people she loved and for her own life. Erik terrified her. So I can’t blame her. |
From Lena:
Erik KILLED and MURDERED people. Really, for no good reason. Did Piangi ever do any wrong to him? And Buqet. He insulted Erik, but doesn’t that prove that the Phantom has no self control and that all he wants is revenge? And Christine loved Raoul. A man that really loved a woman would let her love and marry the man that she wants to love. Therefore Erik didn’t really think about Christine happiness too much. |
From phantomoftheoperalover:
I think that Christine made the right choice…I mean, yes, the Phantom was sexy–in the 2004 movie– and smart, but he was also violent, freaky and a little disturbing. You can’t really blame him–after his childhood–but I don’t think Christine would have been happy with him…..she obviously loved Raoul, and the “light” up above. (I’D go insane if I lived belowground for the rest of my life). Besides that, he was way too old for her and he lied to her. Not really someone you’d want to have a relationship to. Raoul just happened to be rich, but he knew her personally–he had a NICKNAME for her for God’s sake–and they were friends, even before they fell in love. So I think Christine DID make the right choice. |
From Trooper Tru:
This Opera Ghost called himself the “Angel of Music”; he took Christine’s trust and literally abused it! He’s probably the one who killed Christine’s father… and now he wants control over her? Don’t even bother! Overall, the Phantom’s motives were just plain foul… unlike those of Christine’s childhood sweetheart Raoul. Upon seeing each other, the connection was always there… and God knows his intentions were always fair. They confessed how they felt for each other… thus they went from childhood sweethearts to full-out lovers. Raoul and Christine get married — true love at its best… The Vicomte de Chagny and the happy Countess. To those who still believe that love is blind, witness the true love Christine and Raoul managed to find… and, as a result, enjoy a life with ease… and may the Phantom Of The Opera REST IN PEACE! |
From KAS:
I must say that I detest Raoul, first off. I’d also like to say that any argument that is based solely on one person being hotter than the other makes me very angry because it sucks away my IQ. Looks, though having relevance with the theme, do not hold place in which we compare Erik to Raoul because it makes us sound extremely childish. Yes, Erik lied to Christine just because he wanted to be close to her. That’s not why Christine went with Raoul. Raoul and Christine had known each other as children. They had played together and grown to be close friends. Imagining seeing a friend you haven’t seen in years. There is that reconnection. The trust that she lost when Erik revealed himself was found again when she found Raoul. In the book, Christine’s relationship with her father plays a somewhat lesser role than in ALW’s musical: she loved her father and he promised her she would be visited by an Angel. Erik is revealed more quickly as himself, not an Angel, breaking Christine’s connection to her father. In the musical, the allusion to Christine’s father is constantly there. I wish to point out Kay’s novel, in which Christine is the spitting image of Erik’s mother. Part of the relationship- according to Kay’s novel- may have stemmed from Erik wishing to have had a better relationship with his mother and Christine wishing to stay in touch with her father’s spirit. That’s what I believe, at least. I find that a lot of people say that Raoul could have found another girl. But Raoul said he would die without Christine. I’m not saying I like that Erik died in the end- I always get depressed when I read Phantom- I’m just saying that whoever didn’t get picked would’ve died anyway. I believe that Raoul might’ve commited suicide if Christine didn’t return his affections. (P.S. I have to agree with Phantom’s Destiny, the guy in the black/white mask with the solo dance ((’04 Masquerade scene)) was amazing!) |
From Gloria:
First of all,I should say I love the musical and Michael Crawford,But I want to say something about the previous opinions, concerning Erik and Christine in the only novel that counts, that is Leroux novel.First,I dislike the use of the term “stay with”,they were going to get MARRIED. Christine was a very virtuous girl, she wouldn’t have sex with a man without being married to him (or betray her husband,either,as Susan Kay says). Second, Erik was not sexy at all.He looked like a skeleton and was very cold.Third, Raoul did love Christine. He would rather die than let her marry Erik just to save his life. |
From Beth:
I honestly can’t understand some of the people who say, “of course she loved Erik.” Not to bash them for their views or anything but it just seems like they’re trying to prove their own fantasies with Erik. In the book written by Gaston LeRoux, she was terified about Erik. Yes she loved the Angel of Music, but he wasn’t what she thought. HE LIED TO HER!!! Raoul on the other hand was honest about his feelings towards her from the start. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think starting a relationship based on a lie is healthy. Perhaps she was attracted to him, but she did choose Raoul in the end. Who are we to argue? If it was a friend of yours who was dating this nice charming guy (even if he was dopey) but to afraid to show any affectin to him because there was a third party, how would you react. Would you tell your frined to stop seeing the person she was comfortable with? If it was a modern situation, the person would most likely get arrested for stalking. Just to say in the end, I still think Erik is an awesome character. But if I was in that situation, I know my firneds would call the cops on the Erik-like-guy if I didn’t. |
From Anonymous:
Well, I think Christine made the right choice in the end because, whatever the actor who played him might look like, the character of Raoul exudes hotness. I mean, if Brad Pitt played him, there would be absoloutely no question about who Christine should take. Gerard Butler is damn sexy, but the character of Erik is actually supposed to be a living corpse. Like a zombie. A genius zombie with a voice from the heavens. Besides, the less Christine, the more Erik for US(or rather, me), if you know what I’m saying. |
From Anonymous:
Love isn’t just obsession. Erik is obsessed with Christine because of her singing and her beauty, and she’s obsessed with him because he is a link to her father, so I think Christine made the right choice with Raoul. Erik manipulates and lies to Christine. He’s a psychological basket case and he’s killed people. So he’s not the best guy for a stable, long-term relationship, and fixer-upper relationships hardly ever work. In the musical, although Raoul overrides Christne’s concerns to lay the trap for Erik, he gives her more respect than Erik. Also, he operates more on her psychological level–neither is going to build a rocket–and after the fascination with her wears off, I suspect Erik the genius would get bored of Christine and probably frustrated, too. Meanwhile with Raoul Christine has a history, she knows him. She never really loved Erik for what he was, but for how he seemed to embody her father’s love. In the end of the musical, Erik seems to realize this and the simple fact that Christine loves Raoul and only pities him. |
From Wolf of the Catacombs:
I agree that the Phantom is temping, seductive. I agree he loved Christine: he sacrificed his happiness for hers. I see why he did things, I may have gone to him, but face the facts. He murdered people, he felt no pity for the people he killed. He threatened to kill Raoul twice, twice! He was twice her age, a person who obsessed over a teenager in this century would be called a paedophile. He scared her, he was the unknown. Humans have a thing called survival instinct, no matter how much she loved him, safety is almost always the more attractive prospect. |
From Phantom’s Destiny:
I think Christine chose Raoul only because of society. I think if she could have had Erik and been able to live under the opera house with him, I think she would have done it. But fact is she wanted “that life” the marriage and all that comes with it from her childhood lover. P.S. I mentioned this before but in the movieduring Masquerade (the guy in the black/white mask solo dance at the top of the staris) Hey if your out there call me!! 😉 *sigh* |
From Halibut:
Raoul is level-headed. He knows how to entice her without seducing her last neuron. Nothing against Erik, of course, but I would rather have loving, heroic, and well mannered husband than a loving, psychotic, murdering one. |
From Anonymous:
First of all, there’s an obvious reason why Christine and Raoul end up together. Christine loves Raoul for who is: an uncompicated, average, well-to-do young man. She loves Erik as an idea (which I think any fan of Erik can relate to. He is her “angel of music.” He worships the ground she walks on. She loves him because he’s fascinating and dangerous. In short, Erik is the man any girl would think she would dream of being with. The problem is that Erik doesn’t live up to the ideal. Yes, he’s incredible smart and charismatic, but he’s also a slightly deranged man who has a tendency toward murder and a volatile temper. He would never be someone Christine would be entirely comfortable with. She would always be striving to reach a standard of intelligence she could never attain. Erik is, after all, a genius. Raoul, on the other hand, is a gentleman through and through. He’s also willing to carry through and save the girl without killing anyone in the process. He and Christine both know each other for who they are: imperfect humans, not angels. Raoul, in short, is safe. And while he might not be as intelligent as Erik, he is certainly not stupid. He just happens to not be a genius and have a load less world experience. To say that Raoul is not passionate is also unfair–he may not show it as obviously as Erik, but he did come after Christine. If he hadn’t loved her he would have stayed out of the cellars. |
From The Enchanted Rose:
Note: My comments are mainly from the 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson, and the novel by Gaston Leroux. I would like to say that I mean no disrespect to people who stand by Erik, as I have many dear friends who think Christine should have chosen the Phantom. I am, however disturbed by all the Raoul abuse I see, and I am 100% sure in my mind, that he was the right choice for Christine. So, let’s compare Raoul’s actions with Erik’s. Erik lied to Christine from the beginning, claiming to be her beloved angel of music, and using that as a way to get close to her. Then, he continually brings up the fact that he taught Christine to sing as if she owes him something. Now, in the book it’s even worse, because she can sing without his help, but looses interest and hides her talent after her father’s death. But even in the movie, the Phantom sure doesn’t let her forget that “I gave you my music..” He also hangs Joseph Bouquet, and crashes a chandelier on top of thousands of opera-goers (Killing a woman by the chandelier in the book.) because he did not get what he wanted. Sure, he’s sensual, extremely good looking and can sing like… well, like an angel of music, but what happened when Christine took off his mask? The devil in him came out. I’d be afraid to find out what would happen if Christine refused to be in an opera performance that he wanted her to sing in. He’s just the sort of person that would get abusive, whether with words or fists. You may disagree, but don’t forget that he threw her to the ground! Last of all, the Phantom’s love for Christine was a very selfish sort of love. True, he came through in the end and let her go, but only after almost hanging Raoul and forcing her to marry him. Letting Christine go was the best thing he ever did for her. Now, I don’t understand how anyone can seriously call Raoul a wimp. His hair style may not be the most popular, but I’m sure back then it was the bomb. And if you can look past the Phantom’s poor, twisted face, you should be able to look past Raoul’s golden locks. (Which personally, I think looks great on him.) =) Beauty is not merely skin deep. Alright, alright, moving on… Raoul is always putting his life on the line for Christine. How can he be called wimpy when he jumps through trap doors, dives into the sea for a lost scarf, almost gets hanged, and spends an eternity in the Phantom’s torture chamber all for the sake of Christine. All for Christine, with no thought of his own safety. He is the embodiment of selflessness and gentlemanly conduct. I would also like to point out that he beat the Phantom in that sword fight. You want to talk about who owes who? The Phantom owes Raoul his life! He could have killed him right there in the cemetary! And who was there to try Christine’s tears when she was scared out of her wits? Not Erik, he was the one scaring her. It was Raoul. Dear, blue-gray eyed Raoul with the voice that makes me melt during All I Ask of You. Yes, Christine knew what she was doing when she chose The Vicomte Raoul de Chagney. May they live Happily Ever After! (As I’m sure they will.) |
From Anonymous:
The problem I find with most phans is that they can’t see the trees through the forest. Here are the facts. Raoul/Christine – Protaginst. Erik – Antagonist. As a reader/audience member/what have you, we were never meant to make a hero out of Erik. From our point of view he is a.) passionate b.) violent c.) controlling d.) crazy (and for e you could say that in the musical he’s as old as Mme. Giry. However, Gaston Leroux made a bit of a problem for himself by making Erik such a conflicted human being. He earns so much sympathy and people (generally those who often feel dissapointed with their own upbringing and see themselves as a sort of victim) relate to him, and it’s just natural to picture that which resembles yourself as heroic. However the subject of this rant should be Raoul, not Erik, so allow me to un-digress. Once again looking at the character Raoul what we’re meant to see a man who’s loyal, passionate, loving, caring, kind, considerate, wealthy, intelligent (back in those days money bought intelligence, and I personally don’t see any evidence of his stupidity), high class, strong physically (he IS a sailor), and youthful. The only things to be said against him are his naivity in youth, and the self pity he musters for himself when he hears about Erik. The love between him and Christine is legitimate. The love between Erik and Christine isn’t real. I have made this point before without any real response, but Christine and Erik’s romance (if you’d call it that) is strictly Oedipean (incestuous) in nature. Christines interest in Erik stems only from the loss of her father. She believes that her “Angel of Music” IS her father returned to her. Modern science (as well as folklore of this time) proves that women are attracted to men similar to their fathers, and are biologically attracted to men that secrete similar pheramones as their fathers. All the evidence one can think of points to one conclusion; Raoul and Christine are really in love, while Erik and Christine just aren’t right together. |
From raoulwithlove:
i think raoul and christine are perfect together. they complete each other and i don’t understand why everyone who watch the movie or the play think that christine should pick eirk over raoul. erik is a complete monster who told lies to an innocent child making her believe that he was the spirit of her father, that is cural if you ask me. i think raoul is a sweet gentle guy, very handsome and very caring way he rode his horse when christine was taking by eirk to rescue her from the phantom. And those of you who thought that raoul can’t sing, what’s wrong with you? raoul has a beautiful voice especially when he and christine were singing together on the roof. i was about to cry and in a way i was laughing at eirk when he saw that raoul and chirstine declaring their love with each other. |
From Bethany:
Raoul and Christine are very good companions because he’s more sensible and she’s more adventurous. They make the perfect couple! We all know that opposites attract…and Raoul is IN LOVE with Christine…Erik is infatuated. Not to say Erik is not hot…But Raoul is level headed and that is just what Christine needs. Raoul is better off for supporting a family and together they would make a great family with great morals and talent. |
From Nicole:
I think Christine made the right choice going with Raoul because he is so in love with her. True, so is Erik (the phantom,) but his is much more fiery, not the sort of thing I think Christine would like. Christine and Erik may be happy together for a few weeks, but they are so different, things would not go well. Also, Raoul has a better…connection with her, growing up with her and all. He KNOWS her. And as someone said, Raoul was willing to die for her. |
From Cherie:
I think Christine should have chose Raoul (which she did) because Erik had a selfish love for Christine. He loved her for the wrong reasons and was completely obsessed. He would have killed (or did) for her and/or did it because someone got in the way, that’s not right. Now, on the other hand, the Phantom with Charles Dance I wish she got Erik at the end of that one, because he deserved her in that one. The Raoul or Phillpe (was the guys name instead of Raoul) was a betrayer in the sense that he slept with all the chorus girls and also wanted Christine. He was the one who was selfish not Erik. Well, those are my comments. |
From French Hyacinth:
In life the important thing isn’t who loves us, it’s more important who we love, and Christine made her choice following that good advice. You have to do what makes you happy, not what some guy who loves you wants becuase ultimately you’ll regret it. Besides, she was too conventional to take the risk in forming an alliance with Erik. |
From Untouchable:
I am a old fan renewed by interst from the movie, so I may have no idea what I’m talking about. I do not think it has anything to do with who ended up with who. Sure, I wish Chrsitine had picked Erik, but that’s because I felt sorry for the Phantom. We should ask who loved Christine the most. It was Erik that loved her the most, by giving her up and knowing that she would be happeier with Raoul. When Christine kissed Erik, it was then at that moment when Erik learned to really love. Erik was free from jeolously, rage, bitterness, and hate. When Christine showed Erik pity and then later grace, the Phantom felt sorrow and guilt for what he had done, and then at that moment was shown love and learned love. I feel that there was some sort of redemption and illumination for the Phantom. Maybe I got off topic with this, but I wished Erik and Christine had been together. They were soul-mates. Oh yeah, about that redemption thing, did anyone notice maybe why Christine’s name was Christine. CHRISTine redeemed Erik as CHRIST redeemed us. Just another thought. |
From Dana:
I love the character of the phantom (or Erik), but Christine could never choose him, and they could never share real love, not like her and Raoul. Christine not only has alot of history with Raoul, but she truly loves and cares for him with true love. Christine noticed Raoul in the beginning, and remembered their childhood memories, and spoke of him to Meg. She told Raoul to “say you love me every waking moment…” when they first started to sing on the roof (she never said any of these things to Erik). She was very scared that the phantom would take her away from Raoul, and that their life together would be shattered by one man’s obsession. Raoul is protective of Christine, asks her to be his wife (he doesn’t force her to submit to him and stay with him in a lair of darkness), and, most importantly, he is willing (in fact he was ready) to die in order to save Christine from an enslaved life that she doesn’t deserve at all! Christine was amazing to try and show kindness and pity to a man whom she could rightly hate (and did feel hate as a human being)for tormenting her the way he has (using father’s death to his advantage, always trying to seduce her with his music, and take advantage of her innocently trusting mind), and for trying to kill Raoul. Christine shows great courage in mustering up her stregnth to kiss the phantom (remember, the phantom is scary looking and scary too)all to save Raoul (her true love), and to show Erik that he needs to stop being a monster. Christine and Raoul are amazing!! |
From Lee:
Why Raoul? Simple. Because Christine loves him. Sad fact though it is to some, Christine didn’t love Erik romantically. Platonically, maybe, but not romantically. And deformed madman or not, what kind of life would it be to marry a person you don’t love when you could have been with the person you do? Erik decided that Christine’s happiness mattered more than his own. Why can’t people accept that? |
From Un-realisticly Huge Fan:
First off, I am, as said in my name, an extreme Phantom Phanatic. I’ve read both the Susan Kay and Gaston Lereux versions, seen two versions of the play, and seen the movie, as well as visited l’opera Garnier, etc. Erik is the most awesome person, but in reading the rest of these entries, I see that only one person gets closest to the reality of the situation, which is Kitten. In the end, it din’t quite matter who was a “better” choice or who “deserved” who. Erik may have loved Christine, but the bottom line was that Christine did not love him back. Erik even admits at the end that she looked on him only in pitty, not love. Christine, by the end, was no longer afraid of Erik, but her love for Raoul (G-d knows why she loved him!) hadn’t changed. So, yes, I have to say that Christine simply followed her heart, and that Erik, our “Psychotic-stalker-maniac-whatever the hell you horrible people call him,” made the right choice in letting her go. |
From Vikki:
Raoul vs Erik: Raoul: slightly dopey but generally harmless young chap, nice manners, rich, shares a genuine affection with Christine. Erik: psychotic stalker, plays mind games. unpredictable, moody, occasionally violent. I’m not claiming that Raoul is exactly right, but he’s clearly the better of the two. and, once the plays over + life’s calmed down a bit, what’s to stop Christine changing her mind and dating someone else? they’re engaged, not fused at the hip. |
From Sissi:
Despite how much we all love Erik as a character, when we are not in the situation, we really cannot fully get the picture. In a fiction story, we might find him cool. But I can almost 100% guarantee, that if he appears in front of me in real life, he’d make me run away in terror w/o question. I am a fan of Erik, yes. But if I were Christine, or if I were me, I would choose Raoul, no question. No matter what, we just have to admit: Erik is a homicidal maniac. It truly would be a BAD idea for Christine, or any woman like her, to stay with him. Christine did the RIGHT thing by not feeding the delusions and ego of a madman. Raoul offered the stability and REAL love, not just obsession, which she lacked. I find it simply impractical to think that Christine would live happily ever after with Erik. How would she after what he had just done to her? He had pulled her away from her true love, forced her to stay with him against her will, after making it clear that her love would die if she did not obey him, and almost like a bandit, pretty much abducted her and forced her to marry a man whom she did not even love, although he loved her so much. Do you think she would be happy living with such a man? How much do you think she’d be hurt, while watching the love of her life being forced to leave her, while knowing that for the rest of her life, she’d be living in the dark, forever deprived of a life of sunshine, happiness, romance, and dreams, and now forced to live for the rest of her life, which is still a long way to go, with a man whom she’s been scared to death of all along, who was obsessed w/ her and just wanted to possess her and keep her away from the rest of the world, and who had pretty much just ruined a perfect life that was soon about to happen to her? Two people will be completely heartbroken, and yes, all this damange, all this pain, and a pair of lovers being forced to separate, all for the sake of pleasing one man. I find it simply… selfish for so many phans to want Christine to stay with Erik. Yeah, screw how Christine would feel, let’s just make Erik happy, and that’s all we care about, because we all just love Erik so much, right? Yeah, sure, “poor Erik”, but has anybody ever thought about “poor Christine” or “poor Raoul”? And sure, hate Christine for making the right choice of wanting to live a happy, peaceful life, with the man whom she truly loves, and who offers love, comfort, and security; hate Raoul for “taking Christine away from the Phantom”, for rescuing her from a life in hell, for doing nothing but being a heroic, brave, committed man and a devoted lover; but always love the Phantom even if he murders without hesitation and without regret, wants to control Christine almost like a puppet and completely keeps her away from the rest of the world, deprives her of the life and happiness which she deserves, and the right to choose whom she loves and to live life her own way… |
From Shovels:
I’m Erik/Christine all the way, and I love Erik! But I don’t hate Raoul. Whats to hate? He’s so sweet and cute. I think she would’ve been just as happy with Erik as she was with Raoul(If Christine wasn’t evil that is). But if I had it my way, Christine would fall of the face of the earth. I think she’s unworthy of them both! E/C shippers usually blame Raoul for ruining what Erik and Christine could have had. But thats unfair. Sure, Raoul did some stupid things, but that’s because Raoul is an idiot, he can’t help it . I’m not picking on him or anything. Same thing with Erik, he does some horrible things but that’s because Erik is insane, he can’t help it anymore than Raoul can help being stupid (I’m sorry to the Raoul fans for calling him stupid…but he is). Christine is really the one who’s causing all the trouble. She goes crying to her “angel” that her father died then she completley ignores the Raoul when the “angel” tells her not to. If I were her and I loved him like she claims she did I would tell the angel to go jump of a cliff. When she finds out that her angel isn’t real she goes crying to Raoul that she’s scared of him. Ever notice, that even after she finds out her “angel” is just a creepy stalker(sorry Erik), she doesn’t seem to be all that frightened until she sees under the mask. Naive Raoul or deluded Erik can’t think of Christine as anything other than perfect. It just doesn’t occur to them that Christine is the problem, so naturally they hate each other. She’s playing games with them. Christine told Erik that she didn’t care what he looked like, but closed her eyes when he took off the mask. She tells Raoul how much she loves him yet before that she ignores him because her “angel” threatens to leave her. 1I realize that she was very attached to her “angel” because she associated him with her father but that’s not really an excuse. How come she can torture poor Raoul because her father died but Erik can’t have mental issues after living with pain and rejection for fifty years? Raoul can do better than Christine (Erik can’t really do any better because he never had Christine in the first place to do better than her). Okay, my “Christine is evil” rant is over. These are the reasons I like Raoul: 1)He’s really loyal. He loves Christine even though she completley ignored him before. 2)He is so heroic (almost annoyingly so but only because I’m the kind of person who likes Erik). 3) He’s a total sweetheart! It makes you want to give him a big old hug whenever Christine does something evil. 4) Patrick Wilson is awesome! 5) This isn’t really a good reason, but I love his brother! My conclusion: As much as it kills me to see poor Erik die alone, I’d much rather have the unworthy one (a.k.a. Christine) leave with Raoul, as he is too innocent (and stupid) to ever realize that she is evil. Erik may actually have figured that out after awhile. I think Erik fell in love with Christine for all the wrong reasons. I think part of him thought that he wouldn’t be so unhappy with her around. I think Erik would’ve been unhappy even if Christine had stayed with him. He has way too many mental problems to be fixed by Christine alone. At least Raoul had the ability to be happy once he married Christine. |
From Angel Cakes:
I think we all think Christine should’ve chosen the Phantom because we all felt sorry for him. But, I mean Raoul and Christine grew up together and Raoul knows what happened to her father and we all know that would help. Unlike the Phantom. Raoul didn’t use Christine’s father’s death to his advantage |
From ValentineKitty:
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Erik, so I’m not saying I have anything against him. But this is who Christine would have picked, not who we would have picked. I think with Christine’s personality she made the right decision. She’s sweet, innocent, and naive. Raoul is sweet, innocent, and extremely naive. She loves Raoul. She fears Erik. Christine would be happier with Raoul. And another thing, there is a big point in Phantom of the Opera that most phans choose to ignore. Erik didn’t exactly love Christine. He was too inexperienced in that area to feel that. Of course he felt extremely passionate, and he wanted her. But he didn’t love her like Raoul and Christine did. At least, not until the end. Christine made the right decision for herself. |
From Kyle:
Let’s see… You have the choice between a sweet humanitarian intellectual who is always looking out for the common good, or a person who has been so twisted by mistreatment that he hates nearly everyone and kills, threatens, and kidnaps to try and get what he wants. Geesh, tough call (cough,cough). |
From Anonymous:
*sigh* Okay, I love Erik, I have always wanted Christine and Erik to be together. But, I guess I never pictured them getting married and old, and raising kids, and gaining 50 pounds and Christene baking him baguettes and croissents, and roasted chicken or whatever, and playing “catch” with his kids (but his rock-a-bye-baby lullabye would have been a killer), you get the picture. He is just the fantasy, he’s the guy in the mask, the mystery man who is obsessed with you, and anyone that passionate is gonna be damn good in bed. And personally, I think that he just can’t control his emotions, he’s never had to be social and polite, but he sure knows how to woo! I think Christine is too young and naive, and he’s too out of control, and together, the communication and lifestyle would be all wrong. The only way she would choose him is if she wanted a life of mystery and strangeness, and I think someone a little more independent would suit that more. Raoul cares about her, and he protects her, and he listens and respects her. |
From Amy:
I definitely would have picked Raoul because they grew up together, they were childhood sweethearts. But most of all,he was willing to die for her. He wanted her to say she loved him so she wouldn’t have to live in misery, even if he had to die. Patrick Wilson is so cute in this role and I would have picked him. Not because of his looks but because he was willing to die for her, that’s true love. |
From Samantha:
Christine chose Raoul because he hasn’t kidnapped her before, like the Phantom has. Phantom is kind of stalking her and I would just find that creepy. |
From Rose M. Irvin:
Raoul would know how to care for Christine and protect her without killing someone. He has power in society and he can support her. He truly loves her and I think she loves him. She has a sensual passion with Erik, but true love with Raoul. |
From Mistress Lobo:
I believe that Christine made the choice that was true to her heart. You see, Erik had power over her, only within her mind, and just the same he was a connection with her father. Angel of the Music. While She and Raoul were ‘childhood sweet hearts’ as she claims. Even if Erik himself were violent, he still loved with such passion, he didnt KNOW how to handle that. So he CONTROLLED more rather than loved. This is where the lack of nurture within his childhood becomes his greatest enemy. This is where what Christine knows and remembers, and isnt mystified by Raoul that she chooses him. I feel for Erik’s character, but the Heart is stronger than the Mind. |
From Kitten:
Hello, I’m relatively new to this whole thing, but I definitly think Christine made the right choice. We may love Erik (I know I do!). But Christine loves Raoul. She’s fascinated with Erik, yes, but she doesn’t love him. She sort of associates him with her father, which is not a healthy thing. Raoul was the one who she worked with, as sympathetic as I am to Erik. |
From Ana’s Rhapsody:
I believe she was right to pick Raoul. As much as I love Erik, admire him more then Raoul, I believe that people like the phantom are too magnificant to live among ordinary mortals even if they were beautiful. The world would eat them alive. Plus the phantom lived alone in hatred towards all of mankind which makes him incapabe of adapting to the hipocritacle way of society. And let’s not forget that Christine felt safe in the presence of her mortal lover while she felt insecure and lacking self control in the presence of the genius. Some might say that is love, but love is being aware of your person and unselfishly sacrificing your happiness for his or hers. Which is exactly what the phantom did. Raoul was willing to give his life for Christine’s freedom. So each of them loved her equally strong but in their own way. At the end she chose to stay with the phantom to save her lover and when she got the chance to flee she took it but with a pang of sadness in her heart because she also loved the phantom and felt so sorry for him and his sad destiny to spend alone as the angel in hell. The phantom never felt love, but the love he gave to Christine and the love she returned changed his life forever. I think we all feel so sorry for Erik and that is why we wished Christine stayed with him but it is wrong to pity him so. His life is no different then the rest of ours. Being treated as distorted creatures roaming the planet, yet inside a hidden genius is familiar to all of us. Pushed from society and searching for passionate secure love. Some of us may find it, some of us may not. Life isn’t about that. Life isn’t about pleasure. It is about saving the lives of those we love through our own sacrifices. Christine had the chance to be happy and share her happiness with her betrothed. Someone needed to be left out… of course it was the distorted genius. But he had his moment of undying happiness. Just read the book. |
From Sydney:
I am so sick of people saying that Christine should have stayed with the Phantom because they were “passionate lovers” and he would magically become sane or something. And really, what would you rather see holding your children, some psycho? Or a sane, handsome, hot Vicomte? I can just see Phantom holding his first child “Oh,shhh, stop crying.” (suddenly thinks of notes to an aria he’s been working on) “THAT’S IT!!” (drops screaming baby and dashes to his organ/piano thingy) Christine runs in “Erik!, That’s the 5th time you’ve dropped him! His eyes don’t even focus anymore!” Just kidding, it IS really sad that he had to be alone all his life, it would have been nice if he could’ve lived a happy life, but he had serious problems and they would not have simply gone away just because she decided to stay with him. But Christine knew that, and she loved the Vicomte, so although it was really hard for her to go, she knew her staying wouldn’t help – not to mention she really didn’t want to stay. |
From Sam:
I think that Christine should have gone with Raoul, before you get mad at me read my post. Christine doesn’t diserve Erik. Erik is all the things you guys have said and what does Christine do…well she was completely forgetting about Erik and was completely repulsed by him and his passion, and she is *enters colorful words here*. I would have chosen Erik ANYDAY!!!!! I mean come on I can’t belive someone wouldn’t choose him but Christine didn’t and by her earlier actions she doesn’t diserve Erik that’s why it’s good she has gone with Raoul. Yeah, but Erik loves her so it’s sad and he will never stop loving her even if she has gone with another man betraying him and he would still love her, witch is another reason why she doesn’t deserve him. I spose since I am typing in “Raoul’s defense” I should say something why I think he should get Christine…well sorry I have no reason why he should Christine, I don’t care who she goes with Raoul or any other man, but she doesn’t deserve Eriks love. |
From Chandra:
Another long-ish post about why Raoul was the right choice for Christine: In the end, Phantom is a known killer. The police are after him for killing and/or maiming numerous people – he has no salary, no fancy lair, no gorgeous gondola, no to-die-for clothes (oh, the humanity!) – it’s all gone, destroyed or left behind, and he’s on the run. What kind of life is that? Add to that he’s still crazy. Just because Christine sleeps with him, now he’s the kinder, gentler Phantom of the Opera who takes his wife for twilight walks just before their good friend Meg delivers their non-deformed babies (examples from fan fics)? I don’t THINK so! Raoul is not uptight. He’s a Vicomte, he can’t be loosey-goosey all of the time, he has a reputation to keep up, but for heavens sake, he kissed Christine right in the middle of the waltz at the Bal Masque, and pressed her waist with his bare hand – shocking! (By Victorian standards.) “Let them see.” he says to Christine. “No, Raoul, no – well, okay.” Good move, Christine. He listens to her – I really dislike it when people say that he doesn’t. On the roof, he listens as she sings “Raoul, I’ve been there, to his world of unending night. Raoul, I’ve seen him, etc. etc.” On the engagement, he respects her feelings: Christine: “Let’s keep our engagement secret.” Raoul: Why?” Christine: “Can’t tell, it’s a secret.” Raoul: “(Sigh) Okay.” In the chapel, he listens to her fears and her worries and quietly reassures her. For someone who doesn’t listen, he sure does a lot of standing around with his ears open to Christine’s worrying. Lastly, Christine lived on for over 45 years with Raoul, as his wife, and had a family with him. In the day-to-day concerns of being a wife and raising children, Christine would likely have moved on from the trauma of the Opera house. She would miss parts of her life there, but she has Raoul, whom she truly loves and who gives her strength, to help and support (and love) her. The tragedy of this story is not that Christine has to live without the Phantom, it’s that the Phantom has to live without Christine – alone. |
From Satoshi:
Okay, I’d just like to say, before I begin, that I ADORE Erik (the Phantom, for those who haven’t read the book). I love the guy. But this page isn’t about how great Erik is, or how much of a genius he is, or how much he loved Christine. This page is about why Christine made the right choice in choosing Raoul. Two words: EMOTIONAL MATURITY. Anyone who watches Erik for fifteen minutes will see right away that he has the emotional maturity of a child. He loves Christine, and so automatically assumes her to be his, with no thought about what she might want. In his persuit of her, he resorts to deceit, pretending to be the ghost of her father in order to get close to her. Then, when someone Christine already has feelings for shows up, the Phantom destroys the Opera house both as vengeance and to provide a cover to spirit Christine away. Is anyone else reminded of a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum? He’s even worse in the book, bragging about all the things he’s accomplished beneath the Opera House to the Persian, and Christine, and pretty much anyone who’ll listen (which, admittently, isn’t very many people). If Christine had chosen Erik, or if he had allowed her to stay with him, the odds are good it would have been unhappy, perhaps even tragic marriage. But then, who knows? Maybe Erik would have grown up. His leaving the rose and ring on Christine’s headstone in the movie hints at his maturity. Unfortunately, we’ll never really know what might have been. We can only guess. |
From Lori:
Ummm….how about the fact that the Phantom killed people mercilessly? Who cares if the Phantom can sing? He is demented. I’m not saying that I would not have pity on the poor man, but there is no reason to kill another person. |
From Jess:
Whoa I’m glad I stumbled upon this because Christine so made the right choice. The main conflict in the movie/play is between true love and sexual pleasure. Even aside from the fact that Christine/Erik would live their lives together in a dark cave, Erik is clearly a psychopathic murderer, abeit an adorable, sexy one, and Raoul’s love was pure and not based on lust. |
From Elizabeth:
Well, as Christine sings to Erik in the ALW production. “It’s in your soul that the true distortion lies.” Obsession is not love, people! Erik has no basis in his pyche for forming genuine love, no role models. He pursues Christine, manipulates her, brings all of his genius to bear on obtaining her, a poor emotionally vulnerable orphan. But once he has her, what emotional stability would he be able to offer? He doesn’t know, has never experienced, love. He only knows that he wants Christine. So do many stalkers feel about their victims. We pity him because we feel that there is no chance for love in his life if Christine does not love him. What about Meg Giry, who is totally fascinated with him? Or Mme Giry, who deeply admires him and who is his own age? He never looks beyond his obsession. |
From Etel:
I am a total EC fan, but before you stop reading let me explain why I think that Raoul and Christine had to get together. I am not sure about the musical, since I have never seen it, but in the book, once Christine discovers Erik is ugly, she has no affection for him. She fears him, and really after how he treats her it shouldn’t be a surprise. The way he speaks to her is equally creepy and totally unwanted. I just think that though I would have personally chosen Erik, Christine would have never survived that kind of life! |
From Ellie White:
As much as I love dark, needy, torture souls on screen, I feel that the Phantom’s obsession would be too much of an emotional cross to bear, and if I were seventeen and were presented with a choice between a luxurious life with social splendor and a dark, secluded existence with manic depression, I would most likely choose Raoul, too. That may sound unfortunately pragmatic, but there it is. |
From white_duchess:
It seems to me that (speaking from a movie point of view here, although I have read the book and am familiar with the musical) Christine was manipulated and confused. As such, the Phantom served a few different purposes for her. One, he was a sort of father figure, whether she literally thought he was her father or not (something I somewhat doubt, considering point two). Two, he was a source of mystery and obviously played the central role in Christine’s sexual fantasies “in my mind I’ve already imagined our bodies entwining defenseless and silent…”. And three, he served as her muse. He helped her to develop her talents and was a source of inspiration throughout her life. Understand that I don’t think Christine was using the Phantom, it’s just that this was how she saw him. She also seemed to be in a trance whenever he was around–her mind was probably not completely her own at these times. I don’t think she ever truly loved him. It’s a tougher choice for the rest of us because both men are so sexy and the Phantom is perhaps a more complex character and a villain–prized traits in any fandom. But for Christine it’s easy because Raoul is the one she loves. He was a dear friend to her and a pure hearted individual to the core. He loved Christine for who she was and would have done anything for her. Also, he’s handsome and as the last person said, he was probably quite the seducer in private. Mreow! |