The Phantom of Manhattan: Difference between revisions

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* [[Abusive Parents]]: Erik's father was this, physically abusing him and ultimately selling him to a freakshow. Erik was ''seven'' at the time.

* [[The American Civil War]]: The setting of the Phantom's new opera ''The Angel of Shiloh''.

* [[Amusement Park]]: Erik designs attractions for no less than three successful amusement parks on Coney Island and even finances the last one. One later serves as an...

* [[Moral Dilemma]]: The heroine's climactic problem in ''The Angel of Shiloh'' -- should she tell the Southern army officers that her now-disfigured fiance is the wanted leader of "Regan's Raiders" ("who have carried out devastating ambushes behind the lines") and doom him to execution, or keep quiet and allow him to be returned to the North with his fellow casualties? She chooses to do the latter with the rationalization that he is no longer a threat to them. {{spoiler|Cholly Bloom makes a similar decision at the end, choosing not to report what he knows about Christine's death for Erik's sake.}}

* [[My Greatest Failure]]: For reporter Cholly Bloom, it's {{spoiler|not figuring out what's going on in time to prevent the confrontation that leaves Christine dead}}; years later, he tells his journalism students that a key to being a great journalist is to ''understand'' what they are witnessing and reporting upon, and that this experience taught him the importance of doing so.

* [[Obviously Evil]]: Darius. ''Everyone'' save for Erik is instantly uncomfortable with him when they meet him -- especially Father Joe. He has [[Black Eyes of Evil]] to go with his black hair, pale-to-the-point-of-white skin, and black clothing, and is proud of his unfettered ways in the pursuit of money. Erik is the only person who really knows him in America and is easily swayed by him into becoming similarly ruthless. But even he sees nothing to ''like'' about Darius; the relationship between the two men is built only on their mutual dependence upon each other -- Erik needs Darius to carry out his moneymaking schemes, and Darius needs Erik to come up with the schemes in the first place.

* [[Ominous Music Box Tune]]: "Masquerade".

[[Category:Historical Fiction Literature]]

[[Category:The Phantom Of Manhattan]]