The Issues in M Butterfly

M Butterfly left me feeling a little surprised, somewhat disturbed, and fairly unsure of how to process the movie. Even though I was uncomfortable with some of the materials presented, the movie did bring up some interesting topics. The issue of gender was mysterious and unsuspected due to the different gender roles in the movie. The plot is somewhat similar to the opera, Madame Butterfly, in which an American man leaves his Japanese wife to marry an American woman. However, the gender and ethnic roles are switched in the movie. The main character, Rene, ends up resembling Madame Butterfly, and the woman, Song (who ends up being a man in disguise), resembles the American man who betrayed his wife. This is so because Song lied and deceived Rene concerning his real gender and identity. In the end, Rene takes his own life, just as Madame Butterfly had done when she discovered her husband’s betrayal.

Song brought up the idea that men played women in plays because only a man knows what men want. He used this to deceive Rene for political reasons because he needed information about Rene to help the Chinese government. This deceit used to gain political power removes the humanity from Song’s character because he uses trickery to get what he wants. Song had an advantage because being a man himself, he knew how men think and act. He also used ethnicity to help deceive Rene. He knew that Rene did not know much about Chinese culture or history, so he was able to make up excuses that would protect his true identity. For example, Rene never saw Song naked because he claimed that Chinese women were extremely modest.

Song also brought up an interesting issue concerning the ethnicity roles in Madame Butterfly. Because it was a Japanese woman who killed herself over an American man, Westerners perceive the opera as being tragic and beautiful. However, if the roles were reversed and it was an American woman who committed suicide over an Asian man, Westerners would see her as being stupid and absurd. These different views reflect the varying perceptions between ethnicities. This opera signifies the history and importance of the arts because it reveals how different ethnicities perceive art based on past history and culture. Art, such as operas and plays, can relate to the real world and offer answers in times of uncertainty and difficulty.