David Henry Hwang's M Butterfly

Term One Assignment

Position Paper

In David Henry Hwang’s 1988 political play “M Butterfly” the notion of a “perfect woman” is a widely discussed one. The thorough exploration of this intricate concept is made possible by the play’s complex, three-dimensional characters, suggesting that the perfect woman does not exist in reality, but resides solely in the mind of the individual. From the characterization of Rene throughout the play, we can inference that to him, the perfect woman is someone who is simply a delicate Butterfly. In other words, the perfect woman to Rene is someone who is fragile, submissive, and incapable of resisting the charms of western imperialists. To tap into Gallimard’s idea of what a perfect woman should be like, Hwang

In Gallimard’s eyes, the fact that Renee initiates and is very uninhibited is making him feel very insecure in his own ‘manliness’, since according to traditional values men are supposed to be the ones who ‘make the first move’. Renee: “You wanna . . . fool around?” (Act II, Scene VI) By being characterized as being very blunt and honest about her needs, Renee is violating Gallimard’s idea that women shy and apprehensive, and she is hence a “twisted image” of the perfect lady. Thoughout this scene Gallimard shows that his masculinity is threatened by Renee’s bluntness. Rene: “ [...] but is it possible for a woman to be too uninhibited, too willing, so as to seem almost too . . . masculine?” (Act II, Scene VI) Here, we can see how Renee’s bluntness is juxtaposed with Song’s meekness. Subsequently, Gallimard’s view of Song as the opposite of Renee kicks in. Song, as Gallimard’s idea of what a “perfect woman” is supposed to be, unlike Renee, is very submissive and shy. Gallimard (to us): “Did you hear the way she talked about Western women? Much differently than the first night. She does – she feels inferior to them – and to me.” (Act I, Scene XI) Here, we can see clearly see how fascinated Gallimard is with Song’s subordinate attitude. He actually takes pleasure in the fact that this particular woman feels inferior to him, and uses her to act out his twisted, racist, sexually

Gallimard: “But I kept up our affair, wildly, for several months. Why? I believe because of Butterfly. She knew the secret I was trying to hide. But, unlike any Western woman, she didn’t confront me, threaten, even pout.” (Act II, Scene VI) The stereotypical belief that men should be as promiscuous as possible and praised for it, and the stereotype that an “ideal woman” should put up with it silently is the motivation behind Gallimard’s extra-extramarital affair. In other words, Gallimard purposefully tortured Song by having an affair to make himself feel more masculine. Gallimard: […] “I saw Pinkerton and Butterfly, and what she would say if he were unfaithful…nothing. She would cry, alone, in those soft sleeves, once full of possessions, now empty to collect her tears. It was her tears and her silence that excited me, every time I visited Renee.” (Act II, Scene VI) By enabling Gallimard to have an affair outside of his affair, Renee enables Song to play the part of the perfect woman by enabling Gallimard to fully play out his warped Butterfly fantasies with Song fully, and allowing Song to be characterized as