Stereotypes In David Hwang's M. Butterfly

In order to obtain information from others it’s essential to lie, when you’re a spy for the government. A play that has this central idea is, David Hwang’s M. Butterfly which destabilizes the stereotypical binary opposition between the western and oriental, in close relates to the binary opposition between male and female. The discourse of patriarchy and colonial disclosure share similarities between each other in a way that they both relate to power relations, oppression, and the process of creating stereotypes. The need for the main character, Song, to withhold information about herself is essential in gathering information from her lover Gallimard. Not only does Song disclose information about herself, but doesn’t allow Gallimard to know she is actually a man. Due to this deception Song is able to decisive Gallimard, not only through gender identity but expose the misinterpretation of Orientalism. The necessity for secrecy, of gender and executing the ideal Oriental women, is important to know the motives behind the Chinese government in order to possess information that could be
In conclusion, despite the attempt to deconstruct the binary opposition between the West/Orient or male/female, Hwang’s M.Butterfly still advocates the same stereotypical notion of these oppositions and portray the problems of the Orient instead of advocating Oriental power. This enforces the meaning behind the plot where gender constructs dictate our lives and can destroy our essential essence as human beings by leading people into a false sense of reality of what it means to be a male or female. The discourse on gender creates a ‘black and white’ semiotic where you either fit the norm or fall short. Both criterias are the problem; there is no model because every human being is different. In the end, what’s wrong with being a