M. Butterfly

Song’s narration comes only at end of the play to correct the way Gallimard has been telling the story. If Song had come in at an earlier point, how would it alter the play? Which aspects of Song’s character do you want to learn more about? Conversely, which aspects are you content not knowing?

While the play implies that love is inherently selfish, which elements portray examples of selfless love? To what effect?

The play reflects a time when antigay bias was a social norm, even in radical left-leaning organizations like the Chinese Communist Party. How might the play’s gender politics change if it were set today? What issues might Song’s character face in the everyday world?

Gallimard’s objective is to clear his name and prove that he can find a way to tell his story that vindicates him. Is there ever a point in the play where you sympathized with Gallimard? If not, were you still compelled to follow his story? What are the things that drove you to continue reading the play?

Gallimard’s early exposure to pornographic magazines strongly influences his concept of women. How might this issue be relevant to present-day readers? How might you use Gallimard’s character to explain the psychological issues underlying the male loneliness epidemic? Include textual evidence.

Has the West moved past its need to dominate the East? Critique Song’s theory of gender and global politics by imposing it on current events. Which events might support or refute Song’s assertion that the West sees itself as masculine and the East as feminine?

Gallimard’s child identity is a recurring motif throughout the play, though his perspective is never really represented as a character. How might the perspective of Gallimard as a child extend the events of the play? How would this perspective deepen or complement Hwang’s themes?

The play blurs the line between fantasy and reality, implying that no one ever really loves the reality of a person, only the fantasy they construct of that person. Thinking beyond the context of romance, do you ever feel like another person can fully know you? How do you reconcile the gaps in another person’s knowledge with the quality of the relationship you have with that person?