Mr Waugh – The Phantom Of The Opera (Book) By Gaston Laroux – Anti Hero Analysis – 27/1/15

In the Phantom Of The Opera the main character called The Phantom can be classified Anti – Hero in my eyes. The Ideas put forth by the book bring so many factors to the table on the subject that the book becomes very interesting in its perspective of what an anti-hero is in the world of literature. In the book the phantom is alone figure who is on his own under The Paris Opera House after years of being an outcast in society as he was born with a disfigured face upon which left people into hating him for being different. In this perspective you can feel for the phantom as he is practically being persecuted by society for a feature of him which he couldn’t help being associated with him e.g. his disfigurement. This point comes across when people see him in the book where everybody is completely afraid of him for his background and possibly rumors made about him that may or may not be true to what he really is which in my opinion is a normal regular human being who just happens to be disfigured in his facial area. The main focus of the book is his love for a soprano called Christine daae who he falls in love with her voice and the idea of her most likely more than herself which comes into conflict as Christine is already in love with her past friend from childhood called Raoul, Viscount of D Chagny which is one of the books strongest plot lines. later on in the book we find out that Madame Giry who was the dance instructor took the phantom in and is very aware of where he is in the Paris Opera House. Madame Giry’s character is in my opinion the only person in the book who isn’t afraid of him and instead sees him as a normal human being which is how he should be seen as. The Phantom commits several crimes in this book like kidnapping and Murder which are two very serious crimes but in my opinion this backlash is only at the hate he had when he was younger and the loneliness he lived in his life. In the ending the phantom is left by Christine when he his being chased by haters and ends up in the end presumably on his own for the rest of his life and probably dead from the approaching mob at the end. This makes the phantom even more of an anti-hero as you yourself realize that all that the phantom really wanted was somebody who loved him for who he was and doesn’t persecute him for what he looks like but more for whats inside which at the end of the day really counts rather than someones facial appearance, This book bring so many factors that I believe make a true anti – hero like: A misunderstood character who is only the way he is because of the way he had been treated, A Justification to why he is the way he is and the actions he pursues and takes and lastly a character who is shon from society and nobody cares for. In conclusion the phantom of the opera is a brilliant example of an anti-hero in text who is also very misunderstood when the mask is taken away.