Stereotypes in M. Butterfly Essay - 1558 Words

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 clichà ©s that the East-West have against each other that reaffirm the Western male culture 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 thei r 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 â€Å"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 stere otyping of Asian women, he does not want to be trapped in a stereotypical Western mindset. Song effectively trashes this stereotype by using his devious skills to manipulateShow MoreRelatedOrientalism in M. Butterfly1278 Words   |  6 Pagesthe 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 by David Henry Hwang consists of ideas related to orientalism through the layers developed in gender identity, global politics and art forms. TheRead MoreThe Oriental And Gender Stereotype1230 Words   |  5 Pagesindy Coronado March 2, 15 HILD 7B A10923676 TA: Josh Newton 1:00-1:50 The Oriental and Gender Stereotype M.Butterfly, an opera by David Huang, is recognized as a reexamination of John Luther Long’s Madame Butterfly. During the beginning of the 20th century, Asian and Asian Americans were often perceived to a collective stereotype. Well-defined differences between the American Westerner and the Oriental are undermined in both of these readings as â€Å"the west† is seen as the more masculine region andRead More M. Butterfly, Written by David Henry Hwang Essay800 Words   |  4 Pagescloser 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 fourth play selection, M. Butterfly, written by David Henry Hwang, is a wise s electionRead MoreButterfly : A Romantic Drama Directed By David Cronenberg1515 Words   |  7 Pages M. Butterfly is a romantic drama directed by David Cronenberg in 1993. This screenplay was based on the written by David Henry Hwang on his play with the same name. Jeremy Irons and John Lone presented as the main characters of this film. The time shown in this film is from 1958, before the outbreak of the Vietnam War; across the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) until 1986, which situated in Beijing, China and Paris. Rene Gallimard as Jeremy Irons, is a diplomat at the French Embassy inRead MoreRacism, Sexism, and Sexuality in M. Butterfly1149 Words   |  5 Pagesrelated by several points that have already been previously stated. The stereotypes mentioned in M. Butterfly are direct representations of the stereotypes mentioned in the theory. Though M. Butterfly is a major piece that has been directly known for its examples, other shows are known for such examples as well. â€Å"The highly profitable reincarnation of different version of the Butterfly story, from David Belasco’s Madame Butterfly to Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s Miss Saigon (1989), mightRead MoreM. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang1701 Words   |  7 PagesM. 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 himRead MoreEssay on M. Butterfly1681 Words   |  7 Pages 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 culturesRead MoreAnalysis Of Orientalism In Rice Or Song Of Orientalism1000 Words   |  4 Pagesother human. Orientalism is â€Å"a Western style for dominating, reconstructing, and having authority over the Orient† (Said, 3). An Orient does not choose to be oriental, someone else defines and reinforces the stereotypes that come with being oriental. Notes from a Divided Country, M. Butterfly, and The Vagrants all have traces of orientalism and through these three pieces of literature, they expand on the idea of how the label of â€Å"o riental† can be fought or conformed to. In the poem â€Å"RICE or SongRead MoreAnalysis Of M. Butterfly By David Henry Hwang Essay1677 Words   |  7 Pages 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 stereotypesRead MoreEssay on Excessive Themes in David Henry Hwangs M. Butterfly1303 Words   |  6 PagesExcessive Themes in David Henry Hwangs M. Butterfly It has been said that the mind is the theatre of conflict. But what happens when perceptions clash and heads butt? In the play M. Butterfly, by David Henry Hwang, he uses the title as his primary metaphor, but he convolutes the play by having too many themes working around it which can distort the reaction of the audience. The tenor is the butterfly and the vehicle is the M, now the problem with this is that the tenor and the vehicle imply