David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly

1479 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is the relationship between man and woman

David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly

The relationship between a man and a woman has been a constant struggle of inferiority since the beginning of time. The role of a woman has evolved from being someone not allowed to have an opinion, to the owner of a multi-million dollar company. Over the years women have developed the passion and skills in order to fight for what they believe in. However, in some countries women are still placed at the bottom of the societal list, and their constant battle of how their culture looks and feels about women in modern day society is hard to win. David Henry Hwang describes the hardships of a woman in Chinese society in his drama M. Butterfly.

M. Butterfly's theme of sexuality, culture, and ethnicity has made it one of the most controversial plays of all time. The relationship that Gallimard and Song form causes a division of how a relationship between a man and a woman is viewed. Since Gallimard does not know that Song is actually a spy, it becomes increasingly harder for someone to understand how a husband could not know that his wife was a man after twenty years of marriage. It becomes apparent that Gallimard's love for Song is extremely strong and unconditional, and even after the trial proves that Song is a man Gallimard seems to still be somewhat in love with Song.

The Chinese culture believes that a woman who does not speak, think, act, or feel

is the perfect woman. In the United States views of women have begun to change as their positions in the world are steadily being fought for. However, when M. Butterfly was written, things had not begun to change for woman in communist China, and the respect they deserved was non existent. In China a woman's purpose is to please he...

... middle of paper ...

...ous, as Song was in M. Butterfly, is often far more appealing to the opposite sex than one who is open. The Chinese culture is far more strict than many other countries in the world, and even though some of their customs and beliefs might be beneficial, many of the ones concerning women are very old and rigorous. If the practice of these traditions continue Chinese women will never be able to get out from underneath the constant dissention of their gender, and women like Song Liling will never be able to be viewed with the respect and equality that they deserve.

Works Cited

Hwang, David H. Afterward. M. Butterfly. New York: New American Library, 1988.

94-100.

Hwang, David H. M. Butterfly. Literature and the Writing Process. Leah Jewell. 6th ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. Upper Saddle

River: Prentice, 2002. 706-750.

Show More
Related

  • Gender Roles In The Jade Peony

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before her first words she is already considered a disappointment, “a girl child is Mo Yung- useless” (32). From the time she is born, her grandmother, “the old one” (choy), relentlessly tells her how the world will treat her as a girl. She explains to Jook-Liang, ‘“If you want a place in this world… ‘do not be born a girl child’”(31). She is cast aside before she is given a chance and is never given the same opportunities as her brothers. Instead she is forced to help take care of her little brother (insert quote). The excitement surrounding a baby is always extreme, and it doubles in Chinese culture when that baby is a boy. When her little brother is born, she is truly considered to be nothing in the family. “ I recalled how Sekky had received twice the number of jade and gold bracelets that I had got as a baby, and how everyone at the baby banquet toasted his arrival and how only the woman noticed me in my new dress, and then only for a few minutes to compare Poh Poh and step mother’s embroidery”(32). She is a ghost in her own family, and treated as nothing from the moment she is born. It is because of her gender that she is looked upon as a burden and never given the same opportunities as her brothers so that she may excel in life. Through the shadowed life of Jook Liang one can see how gender roles are enforced by cultural

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Jade Peony

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    The united States Declaration of independence states that all men are equal, but aren’t all women as well? Nowadays, the numbers for the population are at an increase for the support in gender equality, with the capture of feminist labels. The seek for equality between men and women, and criticize the privileges that arouse by gender differences. However in Old China, males control almost everything due to a patriarchal society. At that time, not only men, but also women are influenced by male chauvinism. In the Jade Peony, written by Wayson Choy, female characters are affected by an unequal perspective despite their age group.

    Read More

  • M Butterfly a Play by David Henry Hwang

    940 Words  | 2 Pages

    The way M butterfly shows gender can very clearly be seen as the play moves on. When song Liling and Comrade chin are discussing about how men play women parts Liling says” No, its because only a man knows how a woman is supposed to act”. A statement that says that the man knows a real women one that is submissive to him and that is what liling gave song take the time when Gillard and song were talking and liling says “ its one of you’re favorite fantasies isn’t it? The submissive oriental women and the cruel white man”. By this Liling is pointing out the gender difference’s between men and women during that time white women were considered more outgoing than Chinese women thus when galliard finds liling he thinks he has found a women of his fantasies a women h can have as a mistress but she will not tell his wife only be submissive to him. Rene Gillard fantasied of being a true man because they did not consider Chinese men, Real men or masculine during the scene when song and the judge are talking songs says “Her eyes say yes but her mouth says no, the west thinks of itself as masculine big guns big industry while the east is feminine weak d...

    Read More

  • Empress Wu: Evil Usurper?

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chen, Jo-shui. "Empress Wu and Proto-feminist Sentiments in T'ang China." In Imperial Rulership and Cultural Change in Traditional China, edited by Frederick P. Brandauer and Chün-chieh Huang. 77-116. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.

    Read More

  • Confucianism In Lessons For Women

    2159 Words  | 5 Pages

    When one thinks about female traits or characteristics within the Asian culture you are likely to think of obedience and even docility. This can especially be true of Chinese women. Why is this? Where did this behavior and belief system originate? Many scholars and cultural behaviorists would argue that Ban Zhao and Confucius played a pivotal role in this behavioral construct. Confucian teachings are the foundation upon which much of Asian society and culture have been erected. Confucius’ teachings focused on the importance of family dynamics and the need for children to obey and serve their parental figures. Confucius also stressed the need to exercise restraint and to treat others as you would have them treat you. Ban Zhao was the

    Read More

  • The American Woman Vs. the Chinese Woman

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Across cultures, many times similarities lay within them that go unnoticed. It is true that obvious differences set them apart; but if a closer look is taken, it is surprising what can be found. The Chinese culture is obviously different from the American culture, but underneath the surface there are similarities. One of them is how the treatment of women has evolved and changed. Anti-feminism in China has been present since ancient times, and has just recently decreased. Anti-feminism in America has never been as severe as it was in China; however, instead of the value of women gradually increasing over the years - it has reversed. The value of women in America has decreased. There are many similarities between the ancient Chinese women and the modern women of America. Women in China and women in America have both gone through evolutions of how they are treated and looked upon; it is just that women in China have evolved, where the women of America have devolved.

    Read More

  • Gender Discrimination In China Essay

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Confucius, a Chinese teacher and philosopher of the period of Chinese history where he created a patriarchal society that woman had to obey their husbands and grown sons. Therefore, during the early times, people in China are generally gender stereotype. Women were discriminated because they were deemed as weak, submissive, passive and dependent on men which only capable of doing house chores and taking care of children comparing to the males who is seen as the core of the family because they were dominant, independent, assertive and usually the one who provides financial support to the family. Women do not have legal rights in making decisions and most of them were illiterate and only educated on self-discipline, etiquette, relationships with in-laws, household management, humility and chastity. Women being lesser than men were considered to be natural and proper. This in turn caused gender inequality and it is not unusual to see males dominate the business world in the early days as well. However, in the modern days now, China has become more of a communism where everyone, regardless of gender, receives equal shares of benefits derived from labour. This led to a rise of the general status of women and they were given more opportunities for education. This is due to the president of China, Mao Zedong who utters the memorable phrase “Women hold up half of the sky” which changed the perceptions towards women in China. According to the study produced by the Beijing arm of accounting firm, Grant Thornton, the proportion of women in senior management in China has climbed to 51% at the year of 2013, up from 25% in 2012 and outpacing the global average of 21%. In a survey of 200 businesses in China, 94% of them employed wo...

    Read More

  • Stereotypes in M. Butterfly

    1569 Words  | 4 Pages

    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 clichés 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 been incarcerated in a Beijing prison. He relives his fantasies for the past with his perfect woman and shares his experience with the readers throughout the remainder of the play. Upon Gallimard’s arrival in China, he attends the opera and meets Song, and Gallimard immediately describes Song as his “butterfly”. Gallimard falls in love with the “delicate Oriental woman” that Song portrays (22). He then buys into the Western male stereotype that Eastern women need protection by strong, masculine Western men. Gallimard ends up falling in love with Song and has an affair with her to fulfill the stereotypical idea of a dominant Western male controlling an Eastern woman. Throughout Gallimard’s relationship with Song, the readers discover that Song is in reality a male spy for the Chinese government. Song had manipulated his looks and actions to mirror those of the ideal Chinese woman in order to earn Gallimard’s affection. M. Butterfly’s main issue arises from the cultural stereotypes of the masculin...

    Read More

  • Du Tenth Sinks The Jewel Box In Anger Analysis

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power and Money do not Substitute Love and as it denotes, it is a deep feeling expressed by Feng Menglong who was in love with a public figure prostitute at his tender ages. Sadly, Feng Menglong was incapable to bear the expense of repossessing his lover. Eventually, a great merchant repossessed his lover, and that marked the end of their relationship. Feng Menglong was extremely affected through distress and desperation because of the separation and he ultimately, decided to express his desolation through poems. This incidence changed his perception and the way he represents women roles in his stories. In deed, Feng Menglong, is among a small number of writers who portrayed female as being strong and intelligent. We see a different picture build around women by many authors who profoundly tried to ignore the important role played by them in the society. Feng Menglong regards woman as being bright and brave and their value should never be weighed against

    Read More

  • Comparison Of The Modern Woman And The New Woman

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning half of the 20th century, China experienced an intellectual revolution, known as the May Fourth Movement. Among other things, May Fourth thinkers were passionate about women’s rights, and fought for equality between the sexes. Like in any school of thought, ideas about women and their roles evolved over time. In 1925, Lu Xun wrote “Regret for the Past”, a story about Shih Chuan-Sheng and Tzu-chun, a modern couple whose relationship falls apart. Ten years later, in 1935, the film “New Woman” was released. The film follows Wei Ming, a music teacher whose life begins to crumble due to the machinations of a lecherous businessman. Both Tzu-chun and Wei Ming represent a version of the “modern woman, but their similarities and differences illustrate how the idea of the modern woman changed and stayed the same over time.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Lessons For Women By Ban Zhao

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Regardless, this way of thinking provides incentive for Lessons for Women, and is ultimately the foundation of the work. She projects these same ideals onto her own son, who she claims she is worried will ultimately disappoint her, despite the commendations of nobility he has acquired. Yet, now that he is a man, she feels that is not her place; instead worrying for her daughters. Ban Zhao reveals herself to be terminally ill, the origin of her concern, and leaves this document to her daughters as guidelines for living. I found it interesting that such a personal, heartfelt piece of work would ultimately become the standard for women in Confucianism.

    Read More

  • Jade of Peony

    2075 Words  | 5 Pages

    Firstly, the relationship expectations in Chinese customs and traditions were strongly held onto. The daughters of the Chinese family were considered as a shame for the family. The sons of the family were given more honour than the daughters. In addition, some daughters were even discriminated. “If you want a place in this world ... do not be born as a girl child” (Choy 27). The girls from the Chinese family were considered useless. They were always looked down upon in a family; they felt as if the girls cannot provide a family with wealth. Chinese society is throwing away its little girls at an astounding rate. For every 100 girls registered at birth, there are 118 little boys in other words, nearly one seventh of Chinese girl babies are going missing (Baldwin 40). The parents from Chinese family had a preference for boys as they thought; boys could work and provide the family income. Due to Chinese culture preference to having boys, girls often did not have the right to live. In the Chinese ethnicity, the family always obeyed the elder’s decision. When the family was trying to adapt to the new country and they were tryin...

    Read More

  • Compare Trifles And M. Butterfly

    1836 Words  | 4 Pages

    Initially, the play “M. Butterfly”, asserts its position on masculinity in Act 1, Scene III, when Gallimard declares, “And I imagine you—my ideal

    Read More

  • Wild Swans Analysis

    1456 Words  | 3 Pages

    The early part of the novel shows women’s place in Chinese culture. Women had no say or position in society. They were viewed as objects, and were used as concubines and treated with disparagement in society. The status of women’s social rank in the 20th century in China is a definite positive change. As the development of Communism continued, women were allowed to be involved in not only protests, but attended universities and more opportunities outside “house” work. Communism established gender equality and legimated free marriage, instead of concunbinage. Mao’s slogan, “Women hold half of the sky”, became extremely popular. Women did almost any job a man performed. Women were victims by being compared to objects and treated as sex slaves. This was compared to the human acts right, because it was an issue of inhumane treatment.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Mulan

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Disney movie, Mulan, is a fantastic movie that depicts gender-stereotyped roles, socialization of gender roles, and consequences of over stepping one’s gender role. Both males and females have a specific role in the Chinese society that one must follow. Mulan made a brave choice pretending to be a man and going to war against the Huns in place of her father, risking serious consequences if she were to get caught. She broke the socialization of gender roles and could have been faced with very serious consequences of her actions. The Chinese society in Mulan exemplifies the typical gender roles of males and females, the consequences of displaying the opposite gender role, and showed what the society expected in males and females in characteristics and attitudes.

    Read More

More about David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly

Open Document