M. Butterfly

At a party outside the space of Gallimard’s cell, three partygoers gossip about Gallimard, wondering if he’s really unwilling to believe the truth about his case. The truth they allude to concerns an illicit sexual affair. One of the male partygoers suggests that Gallimard had touched his sex partner and “misidentified the equipment” (3). The other male partygoer is incredulous, noting that Gallimard was in the affair for 20 years. The partygoers toast to Gallimard out of pity.

Having listened in on the partygoers’ conversation, Gallimard resents being viewed as inept. He constantly looks back on his affair with the “Perfect Woman,” trying to find a way to tell the story that redeems his reputation. He hopes that his “ideal audience” will make sense of and even come to envy his relationship.

Gallimard begins by recounting the plot of Madame Butterfly, his favorite opera, which he claims is necessary for understanding his motivations. He describes Cio-Cio San, a Japanese girl and the titular Butterfly, as an ideal woman. Her romantic interest is Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, whom Gallimard characterizes as dull, plain-looking, and weak.

With the help of the actor playing his friend, Marc, Gallimard dramatizes his summary of the opera. Pinkerton—played by Gallimard—buys the right to marry Butterfly for 100 yen and brags about life in Japan to the American consul Sharpless—played by Marc’s actor. Pinkerton makes it clear that although he’ll marry Butterfly, he has no intention of taking her back home to the US. He’ll take advantage of the local laws to annul their marriage after one month apart. Gallimard explains the meaning behind Pinkerton and Sharpless’s duet, “The Whole World Over:” The Western man lives life to the fullest by capturing the hearts of women all over the world and leaving them behind immediately after.

Gallimard formally introduces his friend, Marc, who has always been bold, adventurous, and charismatic since their schooldays.

The play flashes back to Gallimard and Marc’s schooldays in France in 1947. Marc invites Gallimard to a weekend party in Marseilles and promises there will be girls. Despite Marc’s encouragements, the sheepish Gallimard hesitates and ultimately declines the invitation.

Gallimard tries to restart his summary of the opera but sees that Marc is leering at the female audience members. Gallimard sends him away to prepare for his next scene as Sharpless.

Gallimard resumes his summary by introducing the 15-year-old Butterfly, who entrances Pinkerton when she walks past him for the first time. Butterfly is meek around Pinkerton, believing that she isn’t worth 100 yen.

Gallimard interrupts his summary by suggesting that in the real world, the only women who are worth 100 yen (or 66 cents) are the girls who appear on the pages of explicit magazines. Gallimard narrates his first encounter with one such magazine at 12 years old. Looking at a magazine in his uncle’s house, the young Gallimard was shaken by how much the women on its pages indulged his forbidden fantasies. He imagined watching one such girl strip through her window.

In Act II of Madame Butterfly, Pinkerton returns to the US and stays away from Butterfly for three years. Butterfly’s servant, Suzuki—played by the actress who later plays Comrade Chin—tells Butterfly to forget about Pinkerton, whom all the sex workers found repulsive. She encourages Butterfly to court the affections of Prince Yamadori, who is taken with her. Butterfly refuses the prospect because Yamadori is Japanese.

Sharpless reluctantly visits Butterfly to inform her that Pinkerton has abandoned her. Before he can relay the message, however, Butterfly reveals that she has a baby with Pinkerton. Pinkerton’s ship arrives in the harbor, sparking Butterfly’s hopes of his return.

Gallimard reveals that when he turned 31, he married an older woman named Helga to court the approval of her father, the ambassador to Australia. This decision was largely practical, since Gallimard resigned himself to the likelihood that the woman of his dreams would never desire him. Gallimard soon earned a post in China but was already bored of his marriage by the time they arrived in Peking. Eight years into his marriage, he began entertaining the prospect of infidelity when he attended a performance of Butterfly’s death song.

The play flashes back to Beijing in 1960. Gallimard attends the performance at the house of the German ambassador. Gallimard discreetly addresses the audience, telling them that he was enamored not by the voice of the singer playing Butterfly but by her delicate form.

The singer, Song Liling, walks up to Gallimard, prompting him to compliment her. He explains that he doesn’t usually enjoy Madame Butterfly but believed Song’s performance. Song takes offense to this because Butterfly is a Japanese character, and the Japanese committed many wartime atrocities against the Chinese. Gallimard clarifies that he meant he appreciated the beauty of Butterfly’s sacrifice for an unworthy man. Song calls him out for harboring an Orientalist fantasy: the dominance of the white man over the submissive Oriental woman.

Song suggests reimagining Butterfly as a white, blonde woman and Pinkerton as a Japanese man to show him how ridiculous the story is. Gallimard concedes the point. Song invites him to watch “real theatre” at the Peking Opera. Gallimard is embarrassed.