Previous
Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Phantom of the Opera, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Natural vs. the Supernatural
Love vs. Jealousy
Violence, Revenge, and Redemption
Beauty vs. Ugliness
Summary
Analysis
The narrator interrupts the narrative to recount then night’s previous events. The day before Christine’s performance, the directors agree to pay the Phantom his due. Following the Phantom’s new instructions by letter, they give Mme Giry an envelope with twenty thousand francs. Mme Giry leaves the envelope in the Phantom’s box and, after a few hours, when it has not disappeared, Richard and Moncharmin open it again, breaking the seal. They initially believe their money is still there, but soon find out that these are now fake francs. They do not understand how this illusion has come to pass, although Moncharmin begins wondering if his colleague Richard is playing a trick on him.
Although the directors initially prove willing to respect the Phantom’s demands, thus finally admitting that they believe he exists, their skepticism is powerful, and they are more likely to accuse each other of making a prank than to accept the mystery of what is happening to them. On the other hand, to the reader, who is aware of the Phantom’s tricks, this demonstrates Erik’s ingeniousness and playful attitude, as he enjoys tricking the directors in addition to simply receiving his money.
Themes
Literary Devices
The morning of Christine’s disappearance, Richard and Moncharmin receive a second letter from the Phantom congratulating them for the previous exchange and asking them to proceed anew in the same way. This time, though, they interrogate Mme Giry about her dealings with the Phantom. She explains that the Phantom gives her ten francs for this service, but has also promised her to make Little Meg, her daughter, Empress in 1885, following a long line of dancers who have integrated nobility.
Although the Phantom apparently takes advantage of Mme Giry’s credibility, since it seems highly unlikely that her daughter would ever become an Empress, the directors are actually wrong to see this as pure manipulation—or as one Mme Giry’s delusions. Indeed, “Little Meg” is described at the beginning of the novel as a Baroness. Although she is not an Empress, she has successfully entered aristocracy, thus proving that the Phantom was partially right—although it remains ambiguous what role he might have played in this affair.
Themes
Mme Giry, however, does not know what is in the envelopes. When the directors show her that it contains twenty thousand francs, she is astonished. Richard then says that he plans to arrest her for stealing this money. Indignant, Mme Giry spontaneously slaps him, retorting angrily that the twenty thousand francs are nowhere but in Richard’s own pocket. Hoping that the Phantom will forgive her, Mme Giry divulges his secret technique. She explains that she puts the envelope the director gives her in Richard’s pocket and the envelope with the fake money in the Phantom’s box, after hiding it in her sleeve. She explains that she slips it in Richard’s pocket when he least expects it. Then, later on, the Phantom can easily retrieve it from Richard’s pocket, since Richard has no idea that it is there.
The logic of Mme Giry’s explanation—as well as her boldly violent action against her employer—suggests that she is neither as credible nor as meek as she may seem. Rather, she proves to be an honest, dutiful worker, capable of performing her job without giving in to natural curiosity or greed, such as the desire to know what is in the envelopes. This episode once again highlights the Phantom’s cunning and ingenuity, suggesting that he is indeed skillful enough to make his illusions appear unexplainable or supernatural. In this way, although the Phantom’s nature still remains ambiguously extra-human, he also contrives to make his actions seem fantastic and ghostly.
Themes
