Growing Up: The Phantom Of The Opera

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The Journey of Growing Up
No one was born to be any professional in any field. Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, was not born as a politician; Isaac Newton, a “key figure of the science revolution,” was not born as a scientist (Christianson). We have to discover who we are, and figure out our path on our own. In the musical the Phantom of the Opera, Christine Daaé, the protagonist, starts out as dependent on her teacher, then transform into a confident singer at the Paris Opera House with only the music as her master.
As a child, Christine relied on her father who was a musician before he passed away. “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” was a song Christine sang to her father at his graveyard. In this song Christine …show more content…

In the song “the Music of the Night,” the Phantom reveals to Christine that he “open(s) up your (Christine’s) mind, let your (Christine’s) fantasies unwind, in this darkness which you (Christine) know(s) you (Christine) cannot fight -- the darkness of the music of the night” (the Music). The Phantom also “gives you my music… makes your song take wing” (the Music). However, at the same time, the Phantom is a controlling force that holds Christine back from trying to become independent. “Sing once again with me… Sing, my Angel of Music… Sing! Sing for me! Sing, my Angel…” (the Phantom). The Phantom has ordered Christine to sing for him repeatedly in a short five-minute song, “the Phantom of the Opera.” His obsession is revealed even more when he sings that “the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind,” and “it’s me they hear.” These demonstrate that the Phantom was controlling Christine’s voice and mind. At the end of this song, the Phantom cuts off their “strange duet” with his solo in a furious and sad tone, singing to Christine that “the one and only purpose you came here” was that at “the moment I first heard you sing, I have needed you with me to serve me, to sing for my music, my music” (the Phantom). The Phantom’s orders and his ambition of controlling Christine slowed Christine down in her journey to become an independent …show more content…

Unlike the Phantom, Raoul, Christine’s lover, supports her to pursue her dream in music by giving her freedom and allowing her to find her own voice. In the song “All I Ask of You,” Raoul sings to Christine, “Let me be your freedom/Let me be your shelter/Let me be your light/I’m here, with you, beside you” (Lloyd Webber). Raoul’s love towards Christine is to give her a shelter to hide from fear and become free from other’s control, the light to walk in the darkness, and freedom to pursue her own voice in the world of music.
With recognition from audience, protection from Raoul, and her talent and great musicianship, Christine becomes more confident in demonstrating her interpretation of music as an artist, and does not need a teacher or a guide to lead her to go forth in the world of music anymore. Christine becomes a more independent artist, with music as her master and the only companion.
Christine’s journey of becoming an independent artist is an example of the journey of growing up that everyone experiences. As college students, our journey is to separate from parents, although our parents are not as obsessive or controlling as the Phantom, become confident, and discover our purpose in life

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