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Chapter 4
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 box attendant, Mme Giry, mother of the ballerina Little Meg Giry, finally arrives. Richard talks to her in a brusque way, which shocks her, and leads Moncharmin to take charge of the interrogation. Mme Giry explains that someone has upset the ghost. Moncharmin asks her if she has ever spoken to the ghost herself, and she confirms that she has. She notes that the ghost always asks her to bring him a footstool. Moncharmin, Richard, and Rémy all laugh, but Mme Giry warns them that they must listen to the ghost, because Poligny himself was once his victim. She recalls a night in which Poligny abruptly left the ghost’s box, with a terrified, lost look on his face.
Mme Giry’s certainty about the Phantom’s existence clashes with the directors’ certainty that the ghost cannot possibly exist. This leads both sides to conclude that the other side is crazy. Mme Giry’s attitude does not make her particularly credible. Instead of realizing that what she says is highly unusual and likely to be construed as incredible, she bluntly asserts facts about the Phantom with naïve confidence. Her inability to understand her public’s skepticism and expound her case in a more convincing way makes her seem foolish.
Themes
Undisturbed by the directors’ skeptical attitudes, Mme Giry describes the ghost’s voice as a kind, yet authoritative masculine voice. She notes that the ghost asks for a footstool not for himself, but for his lady—whom Mme Giry has never seen either. She comments on the ghost’s generosity, as he always leaves a few francs for her at the end of the performance. Now that he is upset again, however, she has received nothing. She notes that once, when the ghost’s lady forgot her fan, she brought it back in the box the next day and received a box of sweets as a gift. Judging that Mme Giry is crazy, Moncharmin and Richard decide to dismiss her. They also establish a plan: to spend time in Box Five themselves.
Once again, Mme Giry does not realize that her assertions, however true they might be, are unaccompanied by concrete proof. As such, they can easily be dismissed as the ravings of a madwoman. Her depiction of the ghost, however, suggests that he is polite and well educated. This makes him seem more human, endowing him with a noble personality, but only as long as his desires are obeyed. The Phantom’s capacity to alternate between refinement and pure aggression confirm that he is probably a complex human being, prone to emotional instability.
Themes
