Erik is unquestionably a great talent, but his dreams of fame and stardom are forever doomed by his disfigured face. One theme found in the novel that seems to have never gone out of style is the propensity for those who look good to excel in competitions against more talented, but less aesthetically pleasing, rivals. In a sense, Moncharmin represents a far more monstrous figure of evil than the Phantom. Fortunately, Moncharmin possessed something deemed far more worthy: wealth and connections within the social elite of Paris.

The centerpiece of this theme is Moncharmin, who manages to become a director of the opera house despite having no musical training. Like many other stories, The Phantom of the Opera engages the conventions of horror as a metaphor for the unfair results of social class and its rigid distinctions. The plot focuses on seemingly impossible feats, overwhelming drama, and misdirection in this sense, the entire novel becomes an exercise in arguing that most of what is experienced in life is an illusion to one degree or another.

Life is a MasqueradeĪ writer does not set his tale of gothic horror within the milieu of an opera house without taking on themes associated with reality, illusion, and perception. Whether the Phantom is actually justified in feeling outrage at his ostracism is a key open question of the story. Like so many who become unwilling outcasts, he internalizes that rejection by rejecting his own identity and putting on the persona of the Phantom in the belief that without the masquerade, society would take no notice of him. His obsession with revenge is spurred by righteous anger borne from the conviction that society has rejected him. The Phantom is in rebellion against society. Buy Study Guide Rebellion Against Society

The phantom of the opera theme song