The article I'm rebutting is super judgemental and almost not at all compassionate towards the Phantom. Some points are also inaccurate. The article is based on the 2004 philm.
Article Claims: Erik raped Christine
Erik did not rape Christine!
It drives me crazy and makes me so mad when people think Erik raped her. Why they think he did is understandable. There is a detail that can be wrongly construed as he raped her.
When the Phantom puts an unconscious Christine to bed at the end of The Music of the Night sequence, she's wearing tights. When she wakes up the next morning, she's not wearing them. Here are three sources I'm going to use as evidence to back up my claim that he didn't rape her. First off, the "Goofs" section of the IMDB web page for The Phantom of the Opera (2004) says that Christine wearing tights and then not wearing tights can be explained as the Phantom just took the liberty of taking off her tights. Secondly, a website called Questions Answered The Phantom of the Opera (2004) has an answer to a question, which was: "What was the Phantom doing while Christine was asleep?" The answer is that he was playing music on his organ. Lastly, TV Tropes says that in the original script, the Phantom is shown getting into bed with the unconscious Christine as the song The Music of the Night ends and the scene fades, leaving no doubts about his intentions. However, TV Tropes also addresses the obvious: this didn't happen in the movie. They also say why this didn't happen in the movie and that is because it would be difficult to see the Phantom as a tortured, romantic hero after a blatant violation like that.
Article Claims: The Phantom was shunned because of his choice to be a bad person, not because of his deformed face.
He was shunned because of both his face and his choice to be a bad person.
Article Claims: People like Erik can't be fixed by the power of love
Please stop underestimating the redemptive power of true, sacrificial love. A little act of charity can go a long way. It can affect a person deeply. It can give someone the strength and motivation to turn their life around.
I am also aware that changing one's ways is a choice and that Erik and people like him need lots of help from mental health professionals and healthy, stable relationships with people who have good boundaries, discipline, and consistency.
And NO, I do not expect Christine or any other woman, whether she be an OC, a reader, or a writer to "fix" Erik. That's dangerous and foolish.
Earthly relationships were not designed to "fix" people. Only one's relationship with God or another higher power can do that. That's what those kinds of relationships are supposed to do, in part.
