An Ordinary Man: A Literary Analysis

Imagine if your next-door neighbor was ordered to kill you, and he did so willingly. Hard to imagine? Well, this was once a harsh reality in the small African country of Rwanda. In April of 1994, a mass genocide broke out in Rwanda, where the Tutsi ethnic group was persecuted and hunted for two months. It was the largest genocide since World War II. Between April 6 and July 4, more than 800,000 Tutsis had been shot, hacked to death with machetes, or beaten to death, based on only their ethnic background, or their ‘otherness’. According to Paul Rusesabagina, author of the autobiography An Ordinary Man, as well as multiple other texts, the ‘others’ have always faced scrutiny and persecution, simply based on their differences. However, some stories, …show more content…
Phillip J. Riley, author of a critical essay analyzing the nuances of Phantom of the Opera, states that “[Erik’s] mistreatment by man, from childhood, was the cause that turned him away from his God” (Riley 1). From the age of three, Erik had hid his disfigured face from society, including his father, who left him at a young age, as well as his mother, who, according to Erik, “made me a present of my first mask” (Leroux 130). We can see the same xenophobia that the Tutsis faced in Rwanda in Erik’s life, so much so that his own family couldn’t stand looking at him. Later in his life, Erik retreated to the labyrinth under the Paris Opera House, where he stayed for many years, not showing anyone his face, and killing any who saw his disfigurement. Many of the employees at the Paris Opera House were fearful of Erik, turning the man into a myth, creating his ‘phantom’ persona. They had never seen Erik face to face, and were afraid of his power and knowledge over them. This sheds light on the xenophobia that the employees of the Opera House felt towards Erik because of his