“Here… here was a
Butterfly with little or no voice—but she has the grace, the delicacy…” (Act 1,
Scene 6) says Rene Gallimard, a 65-year old French convict of treachery, when
he starts telling us the crux of his life. Gallimard’s life has turned from
undesirable to miserable because he meets and falls in love with a perfect
woman: his butterfly.
To begin with, Gallimard
has always seen his life in the West “as such a disappointment” (Act 2, Scene
11). Contrary to the French men’s stereotype, he is quite unpopular among the
ladies. Described as “clumsy”, “got zits”, and “wimp” by his friend Marc, he
would rather stay home than go out and have fun with the other university guys.
Even since he was a young boy, he was “voted ‘least likely to be invited to a
party’” (Act 1, Scene 1), suggesting that he is socially inept. His
first sexual encounter was set up by his friend Marc, done roughly in the
bushes, even worse, dominated by the woman – somehow have a sense like he was
“raped”. He was unconfident and afraid of
rejection, traits that remain as he grows up. Later,
he married an older woman whom he deems unappealing, Helga, “for a quick leap
up the career ladder” (Act 1, Scene 5). He knows that Helga, just like him,
doesn’t love him too. She finds his status as a diplomat more adorable than
himself. Indeed, he thought “no fantasy woman would ever want him” (Act 1,
Scene 5) and beggars can’t be choosers. Nevertheless, Gallimard must have
wondered, am I not good enough to love and be loved by a woman I desire?
At the beginning
of the play, Gallimard introduced us to his favorite play: Puccini’s Madame
Butterfly. Through his fascination of this play, he first enthralled by Song
Liling after watching her performance at the German ambassador’s house in
Beijing. His reaction was: “I believed her suffering. I wanted to take her in
my arms–so delicate, even I could protect her, take her home, pamper her until
she smiled” (Act 1, Scene 6). This reveals his perceptions on ideal man and
woman. For him, an ideal woman should be delicate, the one who “suffers” and
needs to be protected. Thus, an ideal man is one that is stronger and able to
provide a protection. Gallimard possesses a need to be needed, apreciated, and
valued – a strong masculine complex.
Before watching
Song’s portrayal on Cio-Cio-San, Gallimard had never before enjoyed opera.
Opera is identic to Western culture, a dramatic work in which the high-pitched
music constitutes a dominating feature. Thus, how come Gallimard enjoys an
opera with little or no voice? Perhaps his distaste of opera is a reflection of
his insecurity. The shrilling voice of opera singers symbolizes a Western world
fulfilled with more powerful figures that threatens Gallimard. Song’s “little”
voice, therefore, promises a sanctuary for Gallimard, a place where he could
feel safe and powerful. This comment provides us the first hint of Gallimard’s
idea of perfect woman: a beautiful and delicate butterfly without voice, a
woman who doesn’t fight back.
Gallimard’s
favorite play represents his dream of a woman who will lie down her life for
him. Gallimard perceives Cio-Cio-San, the heroine from Madame Butterfly, as the
ideal female figure, a traditional homemaker whose sole purpose is to serve her
husband obediently. One who will wait faithfully and love unconditionally. One
who is trustful and devoted. In short, he wants a woman who will give up
everything to please her man. Traits like that, he believes, are no longer
possessed by the Western women. Ironically, Gallimard fails to see that no one
in real life possesses each of all those characteristics.
Contrary to his
masculine complex, Gallimard also possesses an inferiority complex. He has low
self-esteem, insecure, and feels inferior compared to his peers. His masculine
ego has been repressed and suffered, but this ego is evoked when he sees Song. An
Oriental woman like Cio-Cio-San, Song is an opportunity to satisfy his insecure
masculinity. She is a promise for power, authority, and masculine identity that
he lacks of. She is the embodiment of Gallimard’s ideal woman, and, by being
with her, he will be able to function as the ideal man. Throughout the play, we
can see that Gallimard turns into a completely different person after he meets
Song. He believes that Song has “changed my (his) life forever”. With his
masculine ego satiated, his self esteem builds up significantly. He starts to
achieve successes, being promotod to vice-consul and praised by the French
ambassador that he “has become this new aggressive confident... thing” (Act 1,
Scene 12). He no longer thinks that he is pathetic. Instead, by dominating Song
and abusing his power over her, he feels completely masculine. Song incarnates Gallimard’s
ideal woman by continuously feeding his pride and ego; further drowning him in
his world of fantasy.
Song
is the total opposite of Western women Gallimard used to meet. Unlike his
argumentative wife, Song never argues nor challenges him. She always
passionately listens and supports his decision. Far from the inconsiderate,
brusque Isabelle, Song is modest and compliant. Even her simple gestures
display demureness. Her pouring tea to Gallimard, for example, according to
Chinese tea culture is a sign of respect and submission. She is not demanding
nor expecting. She never asks much from Gallimard as long as he gives her his
love. Though she is aware of Gallimard’s affair, Song, unlike a Western woman,
doesn’t confront him, threaten, or even pout. She never threatens his
masculinity, strong enough to strain her anger and anguish, yet not strong
enough to confront Gallimard. Better yet, Song is very beautiful. An equivalent
of a diva, winning her heart will be a great accomplishment for Gallimard, a
way to prove his masculinity. That he, who is brushed aside for all his life,
could win the heart of a prima donna.
In the end, Gallimard’s fantasy leads him to his
downfall. For years he has refused to face reality and deceived himself. He
only sees what he wants to see in order to retain his fantasy world where he is
formidable. His ignorance and unrealistic stereotypes of the East, combined
with his denial, makes him easily fooled by Song. Even after knowing the fact
about Song, he continues to project his idea of Perfect Woman on himself, which
later results in his suicide. With Gallimard’s death, Hwang tells us that
stereotyping makes us lay false assumptions on people, and it can easily
backfire. Gallimard’s biased view causes him to lose everything and eventually
die with the whole world laughing at him.
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