The relationship between individuals mirrors the relationship between nations

In the light of this statement, M. Butterfly, a film about a French diplomat, Rene Gallimard, being seduced by the Chinese opera actor, Song Liling, who masqueraded as an Oriental ideal woman, evolves into a tale exposing the East-West misconceptions by using the intricacies of male-female relations. Relationship between eastern nations and western nations, and that among western nations, is mirrored by the two relationships between individuals respectively: the relationship between Rene Gallimard and Song Liling, and the relationship between Rene Gallimard and Lady Baden. Relationship between Eastern nations and Western nations is mirrored by the relationship between Rene Gallimard and Song Liling. Many after watching the film have asked, â€Å"how is it possible for Gallimard to be in love with a man for twenty years, and believe all the time that he is a woman? The answer to this question is Gallimard's misunderstanding of the East. The Western misconceptions of the East and the Western fantasies of protective masculinity towards the East can be seen from the relationship of Gallimard and Song. The misunderstanding of the West towards the East is foregrounded when Gallimard met Song after Song's performance of Madame Butterfly. Seeing Song on stage as Cio Cio San in Madame Butterfly, an Oriental woman who kills herself for the white man Pinkerton, Gallimard assumed that Song would be an equivalent of the submissive Oriental perfect woman. Gallimard's ignorance of the culture of the East is clearly seen as it is Chinese tradition that, in Peking opera, the female characters are played by men, which is also later pointed out by Song in the film. After the performance, Gallimard had a conversation with Song, in which the indifference of the West to distinguish the national and cultural tradition of the Eastern nations is shown. During the conversation, Gallimard said that Song was convincing to be Cio Cio San in Madame Butterfly. Song's reply signified that Gallimard has conflated China and Japan, † Convincing? Me as a Japanese woman? Read also Intro to Public Relations Notes Do you know the Japanese used thousands of our people for medical experiments during the war? But I gather such an irony is lost on you. † The Western fantasies of the Orients with submissive, obedient femininity is also reflected when Gallimard commented on the death of Cio Cio San in Puccini's play, â€Å"†¦ her death†¦ it's pure sacrifice. He's not worth it, but what could she do†¦ She loves him so much. It's very beautiful. † The West sees the East as stereotype, as western men desire the submission of the delicate, obedient Oriental women, which western women can never satisfy. When the relationship of Gallimard and Song further developed, Gallimard was blinded by his ignorance and misunderstanding towards the East. During the night when Gallimard visited Song after he has got promoted to vice-consul, Song said to Gallimard, † please let me keep my clothes on†¦ modesty is so important to the Chinese. † Gallimard believed it and respected Song's â€Å"modesty†, and he did towards the end of the relationship, which was also pointed out by Song, who has unmasked himself as a man in the court, â€Å"he was very responsive to my ancient Oriental ways of love, all of which are invented by myself, just for him. This reflected that the West believes that the East is exactly like the image in their own fantasies. The conflation of the China and Japan of the West is also disclosed at the end of the film, where Gallimard painted his face with pure white. In the Japanese theater, white is a symbol of ideal white complexion of the noble, while in the Chinese opera, white symbolizes treachery. This further highlighted the stereotyping of the East by the West, to conclude all Eastern nations as one single conventional â€Å"Orient†. The Western fantasy of protective masculinity is also mirrored by the relationship between Gallimard and Song. In the relationship of Gallimard and Song, Gallimard enjoyed discovering that he could treat Song with cavalier neglect, and this further strengthened his sense of masculinity, which is parallel with the Western belief of controlling the East, as they believe that the East, deep down, desire submission to the masculine West. Song has written in her letter to Gallimard that she has already given Gallimard her shame, and Gallimard used it against Song to force her to tell him that she is his butterfly. This is exactly an act of protective masculinity of male and at the same time that of the West. The West think that the East is inferior and need to be taught by the West, this is shown by the conversation of Song and Gallimard when they were at the Great Wall. Song asked Gallimard, â€Å"why did you pick a poor Chinese with a chest like a boy? † and Gallimard's answer showed his view of Song as an innocent Orient, â€Å"not a boy-like†¦ girl-like†¦ a young innocent school-girl†¦ waiting for her first lessons. † The Western superficial idea of slave and master is also shown between Gallimard and Song's dialogue after he had sexual intercourse with Lady Baden. Gallimard made use of the idea of slave and master, which he thought himself as master and Song as the slave, to force Song to remove her clothes for his will. The relationship among Western nations can also be mirrored by the relationship between Gallimard and Lady Baden. When Gallimard's relationship with Song is going on smoothly and his career has got a boost, Gallimard also had a rather short-term relationship with Lady Baden. This somehow showed that Gallimard has the ambition to conquer Lady Baden, who was described by the men in the party as â€Å"†¦ uilt like the Forbidden City. Everyone can look but no one gets inside. † This is a reflection of the ambition of the Western nations to conquer each other. Lady Baden, as a western woman, is portrayed as strong as the men, she was already naked when Gallimard hid himself in the bathroom, and this is again the idea of masculinity of the West. To conclude, the relationship between Gallimard and Song mirrors the misconceptions between the West and the East, while the relationship between Gallimard and Lady Baden shows the ambition among the Western nations.