M. Butterfly a Play by David Henry Hwang

Gallimard’s supposed ignorance of Song’s sex in M. Butterfly illustrates how an individual’s desire for something or someone can create a fantasy that masks the truth. Ignorance is bliss. Desire allows an individual to create their own truth which can, in turn, be damaging. The theme of desire in the play is seen through Song and Gallimard’s relationship. Gallimard longs to be desired. He associates being desired with power and masculinity, and this desire to be desired makes him ignorant of Song’s true identity. He experiments in testing Song’s desire for him throughout the play. Because Gallimard associated women desiring him as “power”, he did not see through Song’s feminine mask, or perhaps he did not want to. Desire allows Gallimard to believe he is the masculine form dominating a relationship when, in fact, he is being dominated by his own desire which Song is using against him. Gallimard is unaware, or chooses to remain unaware of Song’s masculinity, looking at the world through rose colored glasses of desire. In the final scene of M. Butterfly, we see Gallimard succumb to his own desire. He realizes what he desired was a lie and refuses to accept the truth.

Gallimard is presented to the reader as, for lack of a better term, kind of a “nerdy” and somewhat unattractive individual. He even described himself at the beginning of the play as being the person “least likely to be invited to a party” (Hwang 8) by his classmates. Later on in the play he also refers to himself as socially inept (Hwang 11). Gallimard desires to be what he considers masculine and powerful and tends to associate this masculinity with being desired by the opposite sex. We see this aspect of Gallimard’s desire in the scene where he is at a condo with ...

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Gallimard: Stop! I don’t want to. I don’t—

Song: Oh but you asked me to strip remember?

Gallimard: What? That was years ago! And I took it back!

Song: No. You postponed it. Postponed the inevitable. Today, the inevitable has come calling” (Hwang 64)

The inevitable being the reveal of Song’s true sex. Gallimard chose to remain ignorant to Song’s vices though he admits he knew all along. His desire to be accepted as masculine and not this weak, somewhat unattractive man caused him to pursue a relationship with Song. Desire can be dangerous if it is allowed to run your life. Gallimard desired to be masculine. He desired to be desired by women, or the perfect woman. He desired happiness. Desire masks truth. Ignorance is bliss.

Works Cited

Hwang, David Henry. M. Butterfly. New York, N.Y. (440 Park Ave. South, New York 10016): Dramatists Play Service, 1988. Print.