Johnson 1 Teighlor Johnson

Shades of Gray:
How M. Butterfly redefines Gender Identity In David Henry Hwangs M. Butterfly, Song Liling and Rene Gallimards extramarital affair is something that shows an obvious opposition of gender and culture, pitting not only male against female, but the ideals of the traditional China against modern and cultured ideas of the West. Using the affair, along with its power dynamics, Hwang seeks to challenge the traditional notions of gender. Though society usually views people as either male or female, both Song and Gallimards characters suggest that gender separation is not easily set in black or black or white. . The very title of the play indicates a discrepancy with respect to Songs gender. M. Butterfly, though it refers to the title of an opera, could be interpreted either as Monsieur, as the M. traditionally refers to, or Madame, the title associated with the opera Madam Butterfly, which is what this play is loosely based on. In this play, Hwang suggests that gender identity is indicative of a greater power struggle that constitutes our sense of place and self, and not the formal male-or-female category to which we are so accustomed.

One of the greatest examples of this is the way how throughout the play; Song constantly undergoes a series of gender transformations. This leaves the reader unable to conclude whether or not Hwang himself really believes Song to be a man or a woman. Song personality contains contradictory information with regards to gender. During Gallimards affair with the apparently female Song, he acknowledges certain masculine

Johnson 2 tendencies of hers; describing Song as outwardly bold and outspoken (Hwang ) but with a heart that is shy and afraid. The boldness of Songs character seems to be indicative of an inner masculinity, but Gallimard chooses to ignore this in favor of the modesty and shyness he identifies in her. These are the qualities that attract him to her and validate his sense of self in the process. Song knows exactly what to say to Gallimard to appeal to his desire to dominate a feminine partner, saying that Hard as I try to be modern, to speak like a man, to hold a Western womans strong face up to my ownin the end, I fail. A small frightened heart beats too quickly and gives me away. (Hwang )This plays to Gallimards ideals of a perfect woman. Yet despite Songs apparent femininity, Gallimard still seems aware of a deep gender conflict within his lover. These simultaneous displays of both masculine and feminine qualities demonstrate Hwangs opposition to the notion of set gender, showing that rather than being something that is prescribed at birth, gender is portrayed as a spectral characteristic. Another example is Gallimards sense of masculinity. Only through Songs sense of femininity, is Gallimard to have a masculine sense of self. Because of this, Gallimard values his relationship with her for its ability to validate his own desire to feel manly stating that: I felt for the first time that rush of power-the absolute power of a man(Hwang). He even praises her for this quality, saying that, I wanted to take her in my arms so delicate even I could protect her, take her home, pamper her until she smiled.(Hwang) Here, Gallimards masculinity appears fragile. Song is so delicate that even he is made to feel like a man in protecting her. This suggests that Gallimard is insecure about his manliness, and that his attraction to Song is mainly based on Songs ability to validate his masculinity, as opposed to his relationships with his wife Helga and

Johnson 3 his lover Renee, who both make him feel inferior . Song is not so loveable because of who she is, but because she engenders a sense of security in Gallimard. He is generally insecure about his gender, and exclaims that Song makes him feel like a man. Gallimards search for masculinity ends with Song, as he feels for the first time what it is like to dominate another. He compares himself to Pinkerton from Pucchis Madame Butterfly, with Song being his butterfly, and he having full power over her. Because of this, he frantically protects this power, even though it is clear from early on that it may be illusionary.

Long before Song reveals his biological gender, Gallimard wonders to himself, Did I not undress her because I knew somewhere deep down, what I would find?(Hwang). In his later years in his jail cell, Gallimard questions whether or not he always knew that Song was not the delicate butterfly she appeared to be. Yet he is willing to ignore this potential illusion from the beginning, because of its ability to satisfy his masculinity. He concludes that Perhaps, happiness is so rare that our mind can turn somersaults to protect it.(Hwang) This shows that it is more important to Gallimard that he be validated, than that that validation is truthful. Because if the illusion of Songs femininity is broken, so is Gallimards manliness.

The idea of having power over another is not just unique to gender. The implications of power and gender identity can also be tied to race and culture. The power dynamic of gender is implicated in the opposition of Western and Eastern cultures, with oriental culture always in the submissive position. Song herself describes this dynamic:

Johnson 4 West thinks of itself as masculine big guns, big industry, big money -- so the East is feminine weak, delicate, poorbut good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom the feminine mystique.(Hwang)

Not only is Western culture viewed more dominant than Eastern culture, but Western culture is also deemed more powerful because Eastern culture is relatively weaker. This show the idea of gender roles, with the power of one being derived from the power of the other. Because of this, the relative weakness of oriental culture prevents Song from ever being a true man, regardless of his desires. Song says, I am Oriental. And being an Oriental, I could never be completely a man.(Hwang) The weakness of the Oriental identity in the world prevents Song from ever attaining the absolute power he wishes for. Yet, there continues to be an emphasis on gender as a performance, as Hwang insists that Song retains his oriental femininity even as a man. In this way, power is at the center of both gender and cultural conflicts. To Gallimard, Songs revealing as a biological man is a death sentence. His masculinity, which was precariously built on Songs lie, is shattered as he looks at the remains of his illusionary butterfly. Because he is so dependent on Songs image as a docile, oriental woman for his identity as a male, Songs transformation is lethal. Gallimard admits that he always knew his happiness to be ephemeral. He says, I knew all the time somewhere that my happiness was temporary, my love a deception. But my mind kept the knowledge at bay. To make the wait bearable.(Hwang) Gallimards contentment is based on an external quality over which he himself has no control, though he has always suspected that Song is not as she appears. He is able to prevent his suspicion from overpowering his

Johnson 5 love for Song because he feels that the illusion of manliness is better than an uncertain identity. He confirms this choice when he says; Ive finally learned to tell fantasy from reality. And, knowing the difference, I choose fantasy.(Hwang) When Gallimard is forced to confront societal notions of gender and reality the truth is that Song is a biological male he admits to his fantasy, and pledges his allegiance to it, continuing to attempt to convince those around him that he did not know that Song was a man to his very last breath. He chooses fantasy because only that affirms his masculinity. When forced to live in the real world, Gallimards fragile illusion is not enough. After he loses his masculinity, the most essential piece of his identity, it is as if he has been robbed of the ability to live. When he looks in the mirror, he sees nothing but a woman.(Hwang). Unable to recover his loss of a solid gender identity, Gallimard feels that he has no choice but to end his own life, slipping into the role of Cio-Cio-San; the original butterfly. In conclusion, Hwangs portrayal of gender as a fluid and mercurial entity causes us to question the very nature of identity itself. Together, race, gender, and culture lose their weight when they are viewed as symptoms of a greater power struggle. Though Song throughout the duration of the play is the original representation of the gentle image of a butterfly -the absolute absence of masculine power in the end it is Gallimard who morphs into the butterfly at the end of the play, ultimately transforming into the feminine role, leaving the Armani-clad Song crying out for his butterfly, while he performs his last act of power, committing seppuku and dying at his own hands.

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Bibliography Hwang, David Henry. "M. Butterfly." Literature and the Writing Process.
By Elizabeth McMahan, Susan Day, and Robert Funk. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007. 847-92. Print.