David Henry Hwangs M Butterfly Essays - 1567 Words

David Henry Hwangs M Butterfly Ive 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 Butterflys arms. (Hwang 3.3.1-4) With these words of David Henry Hwangs 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 Gallimards 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 Gallimards 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 beautifulShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of David Henry Hwangs M Butterfly1243 Words   |  5 PagesIn David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly exemplifies three keywords that have such a greater meaning: race, gender, and orientalism. â€Å"Race is a social construction†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (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 â€Å"...In which biology and culture are often conflatedRead 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 implyRead MoreAnalysis of M. Butterfly by David Hwaung965 Words   |  4 PagesButterfly M. Butterfly by David Hwang is a play based on the true story of a French diplomat, Bernard Boursicot, who fell in love with and passed intelligence to a male Chinese spy Boursicot believed to be a woman. Hwang’s play is a response to the Western play which turns the subject matter on its head as Cecilia Hsueh Chen Liu points out in â€Å"Writing Back to the Empire: From M. Butterfly to Madame Butterfly†. Our hero, M. Gallimard, sees the performance of the famous play â€Å"Madame Butterfly† byRead MoreOrientalism in M. Butterfly1278 Words   |  6 Pagesinclination 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. The play begins in the present 1988 with Rene Gallimard sitting in a Paris prison. GallimardRead MoreStereotypes in M. Butterfly Essay1558 Words   |  7 Pagesissue 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 haveRead More Illusion in Madame Butterfly Essay586 Words   |  3 PagesIllusion in M. Butterfly In David Henry Hwangs play M. Butterfly we are introduced to Rene Gallimard who has unknowingly been sexually involved with another man for twenty years. The idea of mistaken gender within the play causes the reader to question how could one mistake his/her lovers gender for so long? In Rene Gallimards search for self-identity he ignorantly chooses illusion over reality. Hwang effectively uses the opera Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini as a framework to moldRead MoreWomen s Death And The King s Horseman And M. Butterfly1393 Words   |  6 PagesKing’s Horseman and M. Butterfly How are women represented and portrayed in theatrical plays? In most plays, men and women are frequently assigned stereotyped roles that make women assume passive and meek roles. Every so often, men are given the privileged to take on the role of a strong and powerful character, whereas the women took submissive roles typical of the weaker sex concept. In this essay, the role of women in the plays, Death and the Kings Horseman and M. Butterfly will be taken intoRead 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 MoreThe Ideal Woman1271 Words   |  6 PagesThe Ideal Woman Henry David Hwang’s M. Butterfly highlights the stereotypical woman and draws a picture of the â€Å"perfect woman.† The perfect woman’s character traits include submissiveness, passiveness, modesty, beauty, dislike for sex, gentleness, and quietness, according to Hwang’s characters. These traits are shown in Song, labeling her as a perfect woman. The reader later finds out that Song is not a woman at all; she is a man. This challenges the image of the ideal woman. All of the female