Phantom of the Opera discussion

As an Erik fan, I personally am constantly speculating as to what would have happened if Raoul had ended up going home crying, Christine having left him for the Phantom. This is a mystery which is constantly eating at me, so I decided to ask Goodreads about it.

If E/C had stayed living underground, Christine would not have been happy
If E/C had gone to live above ground, Erik would not have been happy.

Raoul I think would have moved on to someone else, he loved Christine and I believe, at the moment, would have died for her.
I think though he was just impulsive and use to getting what he wanted when he wanted.

If she had gone with Raoul after a while, she was not use to that life, she would not have been happy. He most likely would have become jealous of her voice and the pleasure and fame singing gave her.

In any case I really, really don't think any of them would have been happy no matter who she had chosen, it was just one of those unhappy set of circumstances that would have left everyone in tears eventually.

LGandT wrote: "If E/C had stayed living underground, Christine would not have been happy
If E/C had gone to live above ground, Erik would not have been happy.

Raoul I think would have moved on to someone else, h..."
I agree with you on this. I have always felt strongly that Christine and Erik together would have been a disaster. That was one of the motivations for adding a new character to the story in my first book. In the second book, which I'm writing now, we have a chance to see Christine after she has been married to Raoul for a while, and she feels over-protected, caught in a gilded cage. She rather misses her days at the Opera House. this seems to me a likely possibility given their various personalities.

At first I thought, it would be wonderful if Eric and Christine were together, then I sat and thought about it, until I started writing my story, I then really REALLY realized what it might be like, to live there underground.

As for Erik, well I don't think he would be happy up here, but he did at one time live above ground, so he could possibly adapt again, but I still don't think he would be happy.

I really think Raoul marrying any woman would be a disaster. He has courage, I will give him that without a doubt, but just lacks some basic principles of a good relationship, namely what the other person might want. Unless he found a really understanding woman, and Christine I don't think was that.

Yep...in his way, Raoul is just as controlling as Erik, only he couches it as "guiding and protecting".

One thing that seems to be going unmentioned here was that all the characters had their own development, IMO. The Phantom's is most obvious, going as he does from someone controlling and self-centered to one capable of unselfish love, redeeming himself in the process. However, Christine is also making a journey towards becoming more independent, more assertive, and less naive (more overt in the musical than the book). Raoul's is hardest to see, in the musical especially, because he doesn't have a lot of time or any solo songs to himself, but the best actors do show him going from an overly confident man to one who is a bit less sure of himself - in a good way. I like to think at the end that he is shaken by his experiences, but is also willing to concede that he does not know best and respects Christine more - she did help save his life, after all. My hope is that their relationship will be one of equals, rather than "controlling" or living in a gilded cage.

But I suppose this doesn't answer the question for this thread? Um... personally, I headcanon Erik as quite old, and probably about to die in a few months. If Christine were to come with him, he might rejuvenate himself for a time, but he'd still die in a short time, at least in my opinion. It's difficult for me to see a truly happy ending here: if Christine were to truly love him, she would also be losing him soon, to spend the rest of her life without him (though Raoul might still be willing to marry her). If she didn't, and only went with the Phantom out of pity, then she might recover from his death better, but it leaves their relationship on a still-tragic note, with the Phantom loving someone who does not love him back... basically like the end of the book/musical.

This is such an interesting question, and I'm sure plenty of us have wondered. I think, if Christine were to stay with Erik, she would end up hating it. Life with Raoul or Erik is like a cage, with Raoul's cage being society and views on women at that time (giving up her voice to care for her husband and children) while Erik, although he would help her with her passion for singing, would be a physical cage underground.

I don't think life above ground with Erik would be that great either. Even with a more realistic mask, there would be the possibility of someone realising the truth. He would probably not want to interact with others, even though he craves an ordinary life, as he would be constantly alert to someone pulling off his mask. Although, in the book, the police believed Raoul had killed his brother and so he vanished with Christine. I suppose a life with Raoul would be on the run as well?

When I picture Christine's life with Erik underground, I think of it like the Phantom with a music box, constantly opening it to hear the tune. I think the focus between them would be music and passion, with none of the outside world to get in between, and it would become too much for Christine.

How I myself picture the story ending, if Christine were to stay with Erik, would be her leaving upon Erik's passing. She would not go back to Raoul. Either Raoul would have ended up finding someone else to marry or finally leaving on that expedition he was meant to go on, perhaps even travelling the world and growing up more. Then he returns to Paris one day and sees a young woman singing on stage, who reminds him so much of Christine. He goes backstage and discovers the woman is Christine's daughter (with the father either being Erik or Raoul). Christine has used her experiences with the Phantom and Raoul to coach her daughter to sing as she has done, but to lead a happy life above ground, balancing light and dark. So, while Christine loved both Raoul and Erik, in the end she becomes a stronger person and does not need anyone by her side.
(I hope this makes sense :) )

Kitty-Lydia wrote: "This is such an interesting question, and I'm sure plenty of us have wondered. I think, if Christine were to stay with Erik, she would end up hating it. Life with Raoul or Erik is like a cage, with..."

Actually you brought up a pretty good point I never thought of, yes being with Raoul would be life on the run.

I also think she {and they all} would be better off going their different ways.

Maybe possible after, like you said, Raoul went on the expedition and Christine spent time with just herself, maybe being older, they might get along better.

I am talking about years later though, long after Erik passed.

Just wondering... How large do you think the age gap between Christine and Erik is?

Ian wrote: "Just wondering... How large do you think the age gap between Christine and Erik is?"

In the novel, about 30 or so years I would say, in the musical maybe about 10 or so.

In the novel, I pegged him for about 50ish and Christine about 20ish

In the Webber version, well the ones playing the leads are not usually that much different in age, sometimes yes but not usually.
In the 04 Webber film there was indeed a good deal of age difference, but I believe stage work is more demanding on a regular basis than film work, so you have to have people physically capable of doing it. So I can understand them needing younger people to do it, especially this type of demanding role. I am thinking fighting with that cloak can't be easy for anyone to do.

I know other roles are more demanding on an actor, but......well you get what I am saying

LGandT wrote: "Ian wrote: "Just wondering... How large do you think the age gap between Christine and Erik is?"

In the novel, about 30 or so years I would say, in the musical maybe about 10 or so.

In the novel,..."

The 2004 film had some age difference, with Christine being around 14 to 18 years younger. I think this more due to the film aging down Christine - had she been closer to the age that stage actresses are when they take the role (usually their 20s), the difference would not have been much.

I also don't think wearing the cloak is much of a battle for actors, actually. It's designed so that the straps come down under the arms and in the back, sort of like wearing a backpack, which really helps ease the movement. (Christines, if anything, seem to have more trouble with their cloaks - there are many tales of Christines having their cloak end stepped on, usually by Raoul, which results in them being half-strangled by the string. Some of them will utilize the same backpack straps as the Phantom, so that it doesn't press against their necks.)

The show is demanding, but physically it's more so for Christine, who is onstage for 3/4 of the show, singing and dancing and going through a lot of quick costume changes. The Phantom, comparatively, is onstage maybe 30 minutes, and I think the demand comes more from the singing and emotional acting required. Furthermore, in the casting call for Broadway, actresses for Christine are preferred to be in the 20-29 range, but Phantoms are from 30-49. At lowest, this is a gap of about 10 years, but at highest, it's up to 30 years. So I like to take the average and say around 20 years. And even then, there are a number of actors that are older, taking on the role in their 50s, sometimes with startling age gaps between them and their co-actresses.

Ian wrote: "Just wondering... How large do you think the age gap between Christine and Erik is?"

In the book she's in her late teens and he's at least forty-five. The stage musical depends on the casting. In the 2003 movie, Gerard Butler was thirty-three and Emmy Rossum was seventeen at the time of filming. That's the age difference I use in my fanfic.