Stereotypes In M Butterfly

Stereotypes In M Butterfly
M.Butterfly by David Henry Hqang is a drama full of perception and stereotypes of race and gender. Both of these stereotypes are not those of fact or
observation, but rather "othering." Hwang uses "othering" and the exact opposite in M.Butterfly. Orientalism advocates the idea that the West
perceives the East as weak and feminine. In reference to Madame Butterfly, speaking of Butterfly, Gallimard as Pinkerton says, "when I leave, she'll
know what it's like to have loved a real man" (11). This suggest the idea that there aren't any "real men" in the East because they're all supposedly
feminine; and although Gallimard isn't the ideal handsome & perfect man, he believes that he's desired by all the beautiful Oriental women. He goes on
to say that,
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Who is stronger? The East or the West? Do the Oriental people truly succumb to the threats of the western white man? Based on the views of the
non–oriental people, the Oriental people secretly want to get dominated by a stronger force, comparing them to a woman, or just simply calling their
race feminine. The show M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang is able to express different issues regarding the theory of Orientalism by hiding it
amongst several conversations between characters. The play can be seen as highly political because of topics it chooses to discuss despite the fact that
the lead character is a diplomat. Though somewhat unrelated; M. Butterfly can even have a certain Brecht–esque quality to it. Because it contains
several...show more content...
"Death with honor/ Is better than life/ Life with dishonor" (17). Gallimard is translating for Song in this passage. Song being Oriental, this line
would be expected and wouldn't cause much of a point, but when Gallimard states it again in the end of the play on page 68 and it causes much
more feeling out of the audience. Why is that? Gallimard is French and not Chinese. Those kinds of words aren't stereotypical of a French man,
which is normally not known as the concerns of a Caucasian male, but rather an Oriental male. The aspects of Orientalism are not solely focused on
the West's views of the East, but can also be the other way around. "Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes. The West thinks of itself as
masculine–big guns, big industry, big money–so the East is feminine–weak, delicate, poor, but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom–the feminine
mystique. Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes. The West believes the East, deep down, wants to be dominated–because a woman can't think for
herself" (62). That quote was said by Song after he officially reveals to the court that he was a man, but before he officially revealed it to Gallimard.
This quote is important because it gives an impression of what the East sees the West as and what they realized they're thought of. Song compares
himself to a woman, despite the fact that he dressed as one for twenty years, because

M. Butterfly is an award winning play written by David Henry Hwang in 1988. In this play, a young French diplomat by the name of Rene
Gallimard, falls in love with a man whom he believed to be a woman, by the name of Song Liling. This play is based off of a real couple who's real
names are Bernard Boursicot and Shi Peipu. Rene Gallimard sees Song Liling, for the first time at an opera show. After they begin seeing each other,
he gives her the nickname of "his butterfly". From there, their love grows into a twenty–year relationship, until Rene Gallimard discovers that "his
butterfly" is truly a man as well as a spy for the Chinese government. Overall, the play conveys themes of racial, sexual, and gender related stereotypes,
as well as deceit....show more content...
One of the most obvious racial stereotypes, is the stereotype of oriental women from a western point of view, which is what Gallimard believes to
be true. According to Google, Orientalism is defined as "the representation of Asia, especially the Middle East, in a stereotyped way that is
regarded as embodying a colonialist attitude". In other words, it's the view of Asia from outside countries, that are usually stereotypical. From a
western point of view, oriental women are viewed as innocent, delicate, sexual, "doll like" beings. Song is aware of the stereotypes, and performs
the "role" of an oriental woman, which allows Gallimard to be fooled for over 20 years. The western's stereotypical racial view of oriental women
wasn't the only one in play... along with it was the stereotypical racial view ofmen. "In line with the theory of Orientalism, both of these stereotypes
are derived not from real evidence or observation, but from an "Othering" of the East as the opposite of the rational, masculine, and powerful West.".
Not only are oriental men degraded in value in a sexual sense, but as well as in a racial sense, being equal to women, as opposed to western views,
where men are superior to

Orientalism in M. Butterfly
She is petite, submissive, and great in bed, the greatest combination for the perfect woman. Yellow fever is the psychological inclination towards
Asian woman that has been expressed by a portion of the male population. This stereotype is a part of orientalism that continues to be discussed
amongst today's society; it is deemed odd or labeled as a fetish. M. Butterfly a Tony Award playwright written byDavid Henry Hwang consists of ideas
related to orientalism through the layers developed in gender identity, global politics and art forms. The play begins in the present 1988 with Rene
Gallimard sitting in a Paris prison. Gallimard declares himself as a celebrity, and relishes that his "fame has spread to Amsterdam,...show more content...
Butterfly does not reflect the complications between the U.S. and China, but certainly depicts secret intelligence being traded among the Chinese from
an outlier source, French diplomat Rene Gallimard, who did not realize this deception from his "Perfect Woman", Song Liling. Before the full context
of M. Butterfly can be explored, it is important to establish the oriental stereotype that is expressed in the play.
"Oriental women have long been fetishized into a stereotype; they are depicted as submissive and passive, and are silenced by the double pressure
from race and sex", "Oriental woman, as Said (1979) states in Orientalism, is usually viewed вЂ•with sexist blinders and serves as вЂ•the creatures of
a male power–fantasy" and "Asians as a whole are considered to be inferior and emasculated, easy targets for exploitations and dominance. Asian
woman, always caged and subordinate both in the patriarchic society and in the Oriental rhetoric tradition, are natural subjects for the White's desire"
(Weilin).
This stereotype is still regarded in todays' society. According to Prof. Dr. Opfermann and Prof. Dr. Wippermann from Johann Wolfgang Goethe
University, their thesis Orientalism in Contemporary Asian American Literature – Mounting Madame Butterfly on the Asian American Needle implies
that David Henry Hwang had two objectives in mind "... (1) Negating

M Butterfly Gender
For this discussion, I am going to address one of the most significant issues in the play M. Butterfly, gender. This particular play tells the twisted
love story between a French diplomat, Rene Gallimard, and a Chinese opera singer, Song Liling, whose intense relationship lasted two decades. As
the play progresses, it begins slowly to become revealed that Liling is actually a man as well as a Chinese spy. Furthermore, the writer of this play,
David Henry Hwang, explores the differences in gender roles among the eastern and western cultures.
Moreover, gender plays a crucial role throughout this theatrical production because males tend to have more power and control in both society and
relationships than females. This can best be seen by Liling's

David Henry Hwang's M Butterfly Essays
David Henry Hwang's M Butterfly
"I've played out the events of my life night after night, always searching for a new ending to my story, one where I will leave this cell and return
forever to my Butterfly's arms." (Hwang 3.3.1–4) With these words of David Henry Hwang's play M Butterfly, we realize that we have just been
staring directly into the memories of Rene Gallimard. The fact that Rene Gallimard serves as the narrator of his memories in the play M
Butterfly delivers an impression of the character behind Gallimard than could ever be achieved by the viewing of the screenplay. The existence of
Marc in the play as seen from Gallimard's perspective, the fact that
Gallimard serves as the main organizer of ideas in...show more content...
Glimpses like these give the reader incredible insight into the mind of Gallimard, which are very useful to explain later actions in the story. A narrator
builds a friendship with the reader, a person that the audience can trust. We see the events from
Gallimard's side of things, which are much more distorted in the play than the events that occur in the movie. The removal of the narrator in the movie
leaves the viewer to develop GallimardUs personality for themselves, rather than get to know how he thinks. This puts the viewer at an overall
disadvantage for understanding the true meaning behind M
Butterfly.
Another significant part of the play that is omitted from the movie is GallimardUs best friend from school, Marc. Marc is described as a
Rwomanizing cadS (1.3. 81) by Gallimard, giving the reader an obvious first impression. He is developed as a character that is there for
Gallimard in times of need, and serves as someone that Gallimard can go to in times of need. A friend like this does not exist in the movie, and the
viewer gets the sense that Gallimard is very quick in decision making and has little doubt about his actions. In the play, however, we know that this is
not the case. There are several cases where Marc talks to
Gallimard in his head, and reasoning for decisions is explained. For example, Marc says RAll your life youUve waited for a beautiful

M. Butterfly : Gender Roles And Power Essay
The play M Butterfly highlights gender roles and power in a subtler way than in the film, M. Butterfly. The movie changes the timeline and thus the
role of "Butterfly" has more depth because we see more of her interacting with Gallimard. Gallimard and Song undergo a role reversal navigating
through the realities and fantasies of each other that are never part of the same one. Gallimard assumes the cultural stereotypes of this inferior culture
and expects Song to fulfill this role while still also being devoted to him. The last scene of this play and movie changed the overall feeling of the two
main characters and their other identities. The film and play address the intentions behind Song's mission differently, in the book Song seems more
calculating and comes across as teasing Gallimard and less desperate than in the film. The confrontation between Song and Gallimard adds to the final
breakdown of reality versus fantasy.
Towards the end of play, Gallimard stands before the court and sees Song for the first time as a man. Song gives unheard testimony while Gallimard
talks to the audience as he observes the man that was once his "butterfly." Gallimard no longer sees the woman he fell in love with in the testimony
box. The glass has shattered on this fantasy he had of her. "You're only in my mind! All this is in my mind! I order you! To stop!" (Hwang 87)
Gallimard's ideal woman always was partially based off of cultural and gender stereotypes. Gallimard assumed

M Butterfly Play Analysis
Aria Hamzei
TH 325
Professor Kennicott
December 16, 2016
GE Paths
David Henry Hwang was born in Los Angeles into an affluent, ethnically Chinese family. He wrote the play M. Butterfly in 1988, which broke
box–office records and gained numerous honors. The play deals with the Chinese immigrants that placed foot in the United States as a first generation
or second generation that had to get adopted and used to the American culture and lifestyle from every aspect and point of view, and having to deal
with the possible circumstances, from the aspects such as cultural differences and racial agendas. This play remarkably touches on showing the
conflicts between man and woman and shows the possible differences between east and west and more importantly the racial stereotypes. We can see
that this play is a brilliant illustration of gender and race that we know as Post–Colonial Drama. This play examines and goes over the perceptions and
believes of Western thoughts towards Asian people and focusing more on the stereotypes about their culture and their nation in general.
Rene Gallimard, who was a diplomat that worked for the French embassy in Beijing goes to a performance M. Butterfly that was acted by the singer
Song Linling who is a man playing a role of a woman, because women were never allowed to sing in a Beijing opera. He falls in love with Song
Linling, who was a Chinese spy and an opera performer and this love fools him and him being deceived by Song who was trying to capture important
...show more content...
In the end of the story Gallimard being overwhelmed by his discovery and realizing the truth about him being stereotypical about Song being a
woman, he dresses himself as a woman and kills himself with a knife in the prison

Analysis Of M. Butterfly By David Henry Hwang
Introduction Gender has an odd way of creeping into every aspect of our lives. How ones sits, how one speaks, and what one wears are coded by
gender to the point where many people attempt to determine and indeed expect how women and men will act before they do so. It would be no
surprise then that when one talks about nation–states, we do the same. We collectively assign nation–states genders, mostly along Western and Eastern
lines, and we expect the nation–states to act accordingly. David Henry Hwang, author of M. Butterfly, describes the scenario through one of his
characters, Song Liling, as "The West thinks of itself as masculine – big guns, big industry, big money – so the East is feminine – weak, delicate,
poor...but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom – the feminine mystique" (Hwang 1988). Hwang lays out this relationship between the East and
West as a relationship between man and woman. He further states that "The West believes the East, deep down, wants to be dominated– because a
woman can't think for herself...You expect Oriental countries to submit to your guns, and you expect Oriental women to be submissive to your men"
(Hwang 1988). This relationship would be abusive at best but the question arises, how can the West be masculine but be hailed as a bastion ofgender
equality at the same time? A good society would be one centered on equality and one aspect of that would begender equality. Women comprise half of
the world's population – 3.5 billion people –

M. Butterfly
In M. Butterfly, for example, the identity of Gallimard is rather difficult to define due to the multiple "performances" he puts on throughout the play. He
simultaneously fulfills the roles of feminine and masculine, a heterosexual and homosexual man, the dominating and the dominated. Therefore, a
reader cannot easily label Gallimard's identity due to the multifaceted nature of how he presents himself. The main question raised in M. Butterfly,
therefore, is whether or not this identity that Gallimard has created is capable of being altered, and why embracing one's true identity, rather than a
facade, is important. In the end, Gallimard eventually loses all hope of creating his own unique identity: after learning that "what [he] loved was a

Feminism in M. Butterfly Essay
Feminism in M. Butterfly
In the 1989 drama M. Butterfly, the masterwork of contemporary American playwright David Henry Hwang, the topic of sexual politics underlies all
other themes, and creates a tension between the genders that pervades throughout the text; moreover, Hwang subverts traditional thematic aspects of
sexual politics by questioning the most fundamental unit of sex by considering the very nature of gender and what defines a male or a female. These
elements unite and develop a penetrating examination of feminism, and an inspection of the role of females in both Western and Eastern societies as
they relate to males, and an exposГ© of the inequalities of gender which are present, perhaps fundamental, in both cultures. The...show more content...
There is an interesting comment made here, by the trio of commentators in the second scene, that the trials and tribulations of Gallimard make "a
compelling case for sex education in the schools." Hwang is here making a statement which escapes the boundaries of the play and operates in the
real world as well; in fact, the three remarkers essentially embody the voice of the playwright discussing the topics of his own drama, remarking on the
story. It is important that the three observers are composed of two men and one woman –– by doing so, Hwang implies that in Western society men have
more importance, for here they have two voices to the woman's lone opinion. Additionally, Hwang obviously feels the need for some sort of sexual
education, and reinforces this with the statement coming from the woman that "I thought the French were ladies' men." This statement hints at an
underlying sexism, an assumption that French men are supposedly capable of seducing any woman. This fallacy is found throughout the play, voiced
through both words and actions by diverse characters. The second act, significant because of the dramatic device explained above, ends on an ironic
note when one of the men comments "Vive la diffГ©rence!" Easily translated from the French, this is "Long live the difference!" and refers to the
difference between men and women; however, this statement is undercut by the fact that it is an obvious joke, said

M Butterfly Essay
David Hwang created M. Butterfly in an effort to reveal a inverted rendition of Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, a renowned showcase that
propagates "the orientalist fantasy" in Japanese geisha Cio–Cio San throwing her life away for a white navy captain named Pinkerton. Like Pinkerton,
Tomine's protagonist Rene Gallimard is a French diplomat that chases after his insatiable attraction to the "exotic east": Song Liling, a male Chinese
opera singer disguised as a female in purpose of learning classified information for the Chinese government. Though it is generally conceived that the
seductive stereotype of "the Orient" is created by western civilization for gains in power, M. Butterfly successfully switches the power structure to favor
the oriental woman rather than the occidental man, erasing any orientalist assumptions set to standardize racial superiority.
In making Asian representation alluring, Western culture romanticizes orientalism, which picks apart the ontological tropes of the "orient" and the
"occident": the East staying "submissive, feminine, primitive, and" polarized to the West being " superior, dominating, and rational". In a state of
ignoring the problematic racist and imperialist view of the East, Asian culture is reduced into a meager dehumanizing list set to boost Western morale
and reaffirm the workings of white supremacy. Literary critic Edward Said states "Western civilization has created interest in Orient along with brute

Essay on M. Butterfly
At the end of the play M. Butterfly, a jailed French diplomat turned spy named Gallimard says, "There is a vision of the Orient that I have" (Hwang
3.3.7). In that moment he is implying that there are still beautiful women, as he thought his "Butterfly" was. This is suggestive of the colonial appeal.
Colonization is made possible by one society characterizing another in a way that makes it seem like a good idea. The characterization of these
cultures, such as the Orient or Africa, is carried out through literature, works of art, and drama. Certainly, plays, poems, books, and stories are only a
few of the ways used to convince the masses of a modern nation of the justification to colonize....show more content...
What stands out in postcolonial drama is the overt way that the idea is delivered to the audience. In A Tempest, Caliban says, "Call me X"
(Cesaire 1.2.55). This is because his previous name was a slave name, and, like many others decided during the civil rights movement, a different
name was more appropriate. It's hard not to see a connection between Caliban and Malcolm X, or any other of the black radicals who took the role
of revolutionary. When he says this the audience is pulled out of the play allowing them to see the modern connection of the performance. This
effect is repeated throughout the play. The same can be seen in M. Butterfly when Song explains the colonial ramifications of Madame Butterfly,
and asks Gallimard, "Consider it this way: what would you say if a blonde homecoming queen fell in love with a short Japanese businessman? He
treats her cruelly, then goes home for three years, during which time she prays to his picture and turns down marriage from a young Kennedy. Then,
when she learns he has remarried, she kills herself. Now, I believe you would consider this girl to be a deranged idiot, correct? But because it's an
Oriental who kills herself for a Westerner–ah!–you find it beautiful". (Hwang 1.6.42–48) This scene not only lays out the goal of Hwang's play ,it also
exposes strong beliefs against colonization, Hwang and Cesaire both clearly favor the

M. Butterfly, by David Henry Hwang, focuses and explores on this central theme of sexism towards women in most cultures. Sexism refers to the
prejudice, discrimination, or stereotyping of an individual on the basis of their sex. Throughout M. Butterfly, sexism is illustrated through the actions
of the protagonist, Rene Gallimard. Aside from this, sexism is also illustrated in most of the conversations that the characters in the play exchange.
David Henry Hwang explores the different stereotypes and discriminations against women and how these stereotypes and discriminations not only
affect Oriental women but women of the West as well. The plot of the story surrounds thisman, Rene Gallimard, who is a French diplomat being sent
to China. Although a married man, he begins to fall in love with Song Liling, an opera singer. Gallimard and Liling begin a secret relationship but at
the end it is uncovered that Song Liling was actually a Chinese spy and not other than a man. The theme of the play begins to unravel here when it
comes to the reader's notice that the focus of this play is based on this fantasy stereotype which Gallimard holds for Song, even when finding out she
is in reality a man. Throughout M. Butterfly, Gallimard manner of speaking towards Song demonstrates this idea of this fantasy stereotype. This term
of "fantasy stereotype" refers to this concept that men hold of women and how the "perfect woman" should act and be. Fantasy stereotype is part of the
sexism

M Butterfly Stereotypes
Thesis: In the play, M. Butterfly, both main characters challenge the gender stereotypes between the West and East.
Paragraph One: Song used Gallimard to further advance China by getting government files. For example, Song states to the judge, "The West has sort
of an international rape mentality towards the East...The West thinks of itself as masculine–big guns, big industry, big money–– so the East is
feminine–– weak, delicate, poor..."(62). Song created the ultimate fantasy where he made Gallimard feel dominant throughout their relationship,
modest, traditional, and obeyed to his needs. Song saw that West perceived that they have ultimate power over the East and the need to control it.
Hwang was not only able to play ethnicity but also the gender stereotypes....show more content...
For instance, Gallimard says, "Did I not undress her because I knew, somewhere deep down, what I would find? Perhaps. Happiness is so rare that
our minds can turn somersaults to protect it" (47). Gallimard knows that there's high expectation between men and women. Women are criticize
about their complexion, the need to always have a man's attention, be mysterious, and couldn't think for themselves. Gallimard knew that he wasn't
attractive but still felt the need that he deserved a Butterfly, where he settled for second best. Song was able to give him the fantasy life even
during his marriage, a child, and willpower to rise in the government world. Gallimard reflects his experience with his first time where he didn't
enjoy because it wasn't "lady like" because she was dominant and Song does the opposite. He knew that only way to be satisfied was to be unfaithful
to his wife that was based on compromise. He even went to another women when he couldn't be satisfied from Song. In the end, he got his butterfly
and fell in love. He finally was confronted with the truth when he was sent to jail and he couldn't run away from

Stereotypes in M. Butterfly Essay
The issue of cultural stereotypes and misconceptions thematically runs throughout David Henry Hwang's play M. Butterfly. The play is inspired by a
1986 newspaper story about a former French diplomat and a Chinese opera singer, who turns out to be a spy and a man. Hwang used the newspaper
story and deconstructed it into Madame Butterfly to help breakdown the stereotypes that are present between the East and the West. Hwang's play
overall breaks down the sexist and racist clichГ©s that the East–West have against each other that reaffirm the Western maleculture ideas. The
stereotypes presented in the play revolve around the two main characters, Gallimard and Song. The play itself begins in the present with Gallimard, a
French diplomat who has...show more content...
The play focuses on three prominent stereotypical ideas that Western males hold concerning Eastern women: the submission of Asian women to
Western males, knowledge in handling the female body, and their desires for masculine Western counterparts. Ultimately, M. Butterfly addresses
culturally constructed stereotypes as powerful and limiting.
The play first reveals the shortsightedness of stereotypes made by Westerners, when the submissive Asian woman is awaiting a dominant Western
male. Throughout the play, Gallimard is reliving his experiences that he has shared with Song in prison so he flashes back to describe his story of
the perfect woman. Gallimard first flashes back to the German Ambassador house in 1960's where he first meets Song. Gallimard and Song end up
conversing about the opera Madame Butterfly that Song was performing in. Song thinks the opera is ridiculous, but Gallimard likes the opera.
Gallimard tells Song how she did a beautiful job as butterfly and how her character was very convincing. Song argues with Gallimard, stating that this
opera is only beautiful to Westerners. He asks if "it's one of your favorite fantasies, isn't it? The submissive oriental woman and the cruel white man"
(17). After hearing these words, Gallimard turns rather defensive; despite his own stereotyping of Asian women, he does not want to be trapped in a
stereotypical Western mindset. Song effectively trashes thisstereotype by using his devious skills to manipulate

Analysis Of David Henry Hwang's M Butterfly
In David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly exemplifies three keywords that have such a greater meaning: race, gender, and orientalism. "Race is a
social construction..." (Hwang) Junaid Rana starts her definition of race by stating it is a social construction, which in itself is mind boggling,
because it is true. Race was not an issue when it came down to deciding Ozawa V. United States in 1922 or Thind V. United States in 1923. Rana
then goes on to say "...In which biology and culture are often conflated as a rhetorical logic and material practice in a system of domination."
(Hwang). She says, how race is made up of both biology and culture, but is combined and used as a stamp to organize and categorize anyone person to
a group. Personally, I...show more content...
By saying Adolf Gallimard brings out the shame in the name Pee–Pee and has no respect toward the Chinese. Offering the name of a mass–murder
because Pee–Pee means Pee in English. Hwang was able to exemplify race in many scenes, but in these two scenes he made them so simple using
minor stereotypes that are well known. Judy Tzu–Chub Wu in her Keywords essay also definesgender as a social construction which is true. Gender
gives socially constructed norms to both males and females in order to, illuminate their biological differences. Males are masculine so they work,
grow big, and have power. Females are feminine so they are weak, take care of the kids and house, and are small. Both definitions of masculinity
and femininity are what society has shaped them to be. In scene six Liling goes on to prove a point about gender. When Song speaks to Gallimard
About a scenario of how a Japanese man met and treated a blonde girl cruelly. However, the blonde falls in love, and the Japanese man goes home for
three years. Additionally, the man returns home and re–marries in the same time the blonde girl turned down marriage from a "young Kennedy"
(meaning a bright future). Hwang then adds hints of gender roles, for example: "homecoming queen blonde", "submissive oriental woman", and
"Japanese business man". Adding characteristics to each noun, and showing how both genders are viewed by the world. The next scene 2:8 gender is
shown when

M Butterfly Sparknotes
M. Butterfly, a play written by a man named David Henry Hwang in 1988, is a story of a French diplomat named Rene Gallimard and a Chinese
Opera star named Song Liling and the deception that occurs between them that destroys their relationship as well as Gallimard's life. The play takes off
when Gallimard meets Song Liling for the first time after her opera performance and grows extremely fond of her. Song, on the other hand, sees him
as easy prey for a twisted spy operation attempting to seduce him into providing her info on the American troop movements in Vietnam and report
back to what she calls the "ministry". We quickly learn that Song is not who she appears to be as we watch Gallimard fall into her trap without
hesitation because, in his eyes, she personifies his vision of the ideal eastern woman. M. Butterfly is full of deception, culture, and domination and
submission in which Hwang is able to incorporate race and gender stereotypes that the west has adopted in its dealings with the eastern culture.
Rene Gallimard replays his life from a prison cell constantly trying to understand and questioning how he, a married diplomat working in the French
embassy in China, fell in love with a communist spy that he thought was a woman. "In the opera, a Japanese geisha kills herself rather than live without
her American husband. Smitten by the performance, Gallimard is determined to have his own butterfly, even if it means that he has to deceive himself"
(Preston 7). With that,

M. Butterfly, Written by David Henry Hwang Essay
As a big crucible, the United States is well known for its multiplicity of races. In order to maintain the diversity, the American government not only
receives people from different backgrounds, but also sends American to all over the world in order to learn from various cultures. Even though
countries become increasingly closer in their relations, there still exists numerous stereotypes and negative labeling among multi–ethnic groups, which
are most common between oriental and western. Along with a sharply risen number of Asian visiting America, Illinois Wesleyan University in
Bloomington, which has never experienced much exotic cultures before, is facing both opportunities and challenges from Asian civilization. As a
result, for the...show more content...
This contradiction is what makes the ambiguous title of the play, M. Butterfly.
Stereotype towards Oriental women is one of the main themes in the play. The distressing ending that brings up Gallimard's suicide is an irreversible
result of his distorted thinking toward Asian women, which blinds him to every truth about Song. As the title implies, Asian women are often
compared to butterflies that are docile and delicate. In fact, the audience will discover that Oriental women are strong enough to take initiatives in
reality. Both Gallimard and Song incorporate cultural notions into the performance and perception, so that Song is able to exploit Gallimard by those
conventions.
More than stereotypes toward Oriental women, the play also criticizes how the Western emasculate Oriental from their point of view, like what
Gallimard claims in the play, "Orientals will always submit to a greater force." (Act 2, Scene 3) Western flatters themselves that only a Westerner
knows how the Oriental should act, with the view of Oriental as an effeminate female with delicacy and subservient. As Song explains "The West has
sort of an international rape mentality towards the East. (Act 3, Scene 1)"
By creating a false image of Song's gender precisely, Hwang brings another remarkable topic in this play, which is sexism. When Gallimard sees Song
performing the dead scene from the opera Madama Butterfly, he cannot separate her role as a

Stereotypes In M Butterfly

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Stereotypes In M Butterfly