The Phantom of the Opera
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Erik or Heathcliff?
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I identified more with Erik because Heathcliff was just a cruel, sadistic twit!!!
Is the question who needs the most professional help? Because I'd say that's a tie. ;)
Kasey wrote: "Is the question who needs the most professional help? Because I'd say that's a tie. ;)"At least Erik was cultured and had redeeming qualities about him, whereas Heathcliff was an illiterate rube who made everyone's lives miserable just to get revenge on Catherine!!!
Never thought of them in the same boat. Erik had a reason for being the way he was and Heathcliff well he was just plain bad.
Amina wrote: "Never thought of them in the same boat. Erik had a reason for being the way he was and Heathcliff well he was just plain bad."
They BOTH had reasons for being the way they were!
They BOTH had reasons for being the way they were!
Brooke wrote: "Amina wrote: "Never thought of them in the same boat. Erik had a reason for being the way he was and Heathcliff well he was just plain bad."They BOTH had reasons for being the way they were!"
Heathcliff did not have to live under a mask. He had at least friendship with Cathy. And I believe even if she didn't marry Edgar they were so demented that they would have screwed themselves one way or the other. Erik, in spite of all his flaws, does the right thing. So no, they both did not have a reason. Erik was neglected thus became the monster he is and Heathcliff was a rotten egg to begin with. My Opinion
Amina wrote: "Brooke wrote: "Amina wrote: "Never thought of them in the same boat. Erik had a reason for being the way he was and Heathcliff well he was just plain bad."They BOTH had reasons for being the way ..."
Also, Erik was very cruelly treated by superstitious people who would scream at the sight of him, which made him feel bad, angry, resentful, etc.!!!
Kelli wrote: "Amina wrote: "Brooke wrote: "Amina wrote: "Never thought of them in the same boat. Erik had a reason for being the way he was and Heathcliff well he was just plain bad."They BOTH had reasons for ..."
Exactly!
Erik is da best. DA BEST!!!
An addition to my earlier comment, all that Erik ever wanted was for someone to accept him the way he was but all he got was the screams of superstitious people who were afraid of him just because of his disfigurement.As for Heathcliff, all he wanted was to get revenge on the family who had treated him badly.
For me it's not a hard choice at all. Neither one. It's as simple as that.
Both of them are violent and egotistical and could never be able to be in a healthy relationship with a woman.
Both of them are violent and egotistical and could never be able to be in a healthy relationship with a woman.
I'm with Heidi. Neither. To me, Erik and Heathcliff are cut from the same cloth even though their circumstances are different. Both are narcissistic and only saw the women as objects of their supposed salvation but neither had the fortitude to deal with the rejection. Both are emotionally weak and not appealing to me at all.
I will say Heathcliff is more disappointing in that he was able to build a successful life and threw it away on revenge. Erik's circumstances were significantly more difficult than Heathcliff but it doesn't mitigate that he's not above emotionally torture or murder.
Jean wrote: "I'm with Heidi. Neither. To me, Erik and Heathcliff are cut from the same cloth even though their circumstances are different. Both are narcissistic and only saw the women as objects of their..."
I don't see Erik as being emotionally weak, he had the strength to give Christine up, which also shows he is not only capable of loving someone but very selflessly loving her.
It's not enough for me. It's one moment. Heathcliff also gives up his revenge plot at the very end too. But both people destroyed innocent people in the process of getting there. They may have had an epiphany but it doesn't change their character considering it happens at the very end.
Erik, only because I haven't read "Wuthering Heights" yet.
Nice comparison, I never realized how much those two characters where alike!!Both beautiful and attractive in the same way.
I couldn't choose, I love them both!
P.s. Can you think of other characters that are like them?
GO ERIK! Heathcliff was a bit more i dont know....i just like Erik better!
No contest........ERIK, forever! 'Pertie' on fanfiction.net loves her Erik....
If you analyze deeper these two characters, you'll observe that they're similar, so you can't choose one of them. If it's an easy choice, it means that you haven't read yet ''Wuthering Heights".
Erik, of course! No matter how much I adore Wuthering Heights as a book, I can't stand Heathcliff's character! Even though he's rather interesting :/ And I dislike Cathy more than him!
Erik. Hard choice though, coz they're quite similar in my opinion AND I don't really like either of them! But I do kinda feel sorry for Erik, but with Heathcliff I certainly don't.
Both share some traits, but I actually kind of symphatize with Erik and I like him as a developed character.I'm currently reading Wuthering Heights, so I don't have a complete idea of what Heathcliff is like yet, but I have not gotten a very good impression of him so far. So for now, I'm going to go with Erik.
Wow, they are really similar. But everything that Heathcliff did he did for Cathy, whereas the Phantom had designs and plans before she came along. He was just blindsided by the beautiful girl. Hmmm. I think I'd go for Heathcliff. He was a tormented soul and all but if I were Cathy I'd be able to fix him....Sorry Erik...
We must pity Erik, whereas Heathcliff is written so as to not deserve pity, in my opinion. Leroux shows that true, ure love is the strongest force, whereas Bronte shows how love is messy, gets in the way, and is confusing. Although Erik did some arguably more terrible things, he is pitied more. They are both abusive in their nature and should not be loved. Heathcliff's love for Cathy came before all else for him, and he did not do much to hide that. Erik, however, wanted to be loved more than he loved Christine at the start. He did grow to truly love her at the end when he learned even he was deserving of love.
So in the end, although I have to say I hate him more, I think I'll go with Heathcliff.
I sympathized with both and understood their falls from grace. But Erik was redeemed and died with his humanity restored. Heathcliff ended his days still better and cruel.Perhaps this is the wrong question. Perhaps what we should be asking is: Cathy or Christine?
Cathy was strong-willed, but not strong. She was ruled by her emotions, utterly selfish, and strung along both Heathcliff and Edgar. She's the goth version of Daisy Buchanan.
Some people insist on interpreting Christine as a flirt and manipulator with daddy issues, but I think that's way off. She struck me as a sweet, sad kid who just wanted support after being orphaned. She wanted badly to believe in Erik, and turned to Raoul mostly because Erik was starting to frighten her. I never got the impression that she was trying to play the two of them against each other, and she clearly never pursued either man, letting them approach her instead.
Most importantly, Christine was gentle, kind, and compassionate until the bitter end - the exact opposite of angry, narcissistic Cathy,
So if Erik winds up in a better place than Heathcliff, it is indeed, as he said, "because [her] love redeems [him]."
We should all strive to be more like Christine.
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Hard choice, I know.