Deception and Acceptance of M. Butterfly

In M. Butterfly, there are multiple examples of how people manipulated and used another’s desire and weakness for their own personal advantage. Despite the mental and physical sacrifices it could possibly require to carry out the deception, it appeared that the end result is worth it. There were multiple deceptions among the same parties. Helga and Gallimard deceived each other; Song deceived Gallimard; and Gallimard deceived himself. Though deceit is always looked at as a negative aspect of a person, every participant gained something and revealed something about them during or after the process.

In the marriage of Helga and Gallimard, neither were in it because they were emotionally invested; but instead has an ulterior motive for the union. Neither of them really wanted someone to love or someone to share a life and companionship with; they both were interested in bettering their social status. In Act one Scene six, you hear Gallimard’s thoughts on his marriage to Helga. After hearing Helga say “My father was ambassador to Australia….” His response was “Hearing that brought me to the altar-where I took a vow renouncing love. No fantasy woman would ever want me, so

Gallimard’s self deception leads to his final acceptance of his fantasy world which ultimately leads to his ultimate happiness and release. He realized that what, or rather who he was deceiving himself with was in fact a fantasy. He accepts finally that he was always in love with a fantasy, which he revealed to Song in Act three Scene two, “You showed me your true self. When all I loved was the lie. A perfect lie….” (89). He even tells Song “I knew all the time somewhere that was happiness was temporary, my love a deception”(88). Here you see how Gallimard is deceiving himself but not accepting reality for what it is, and he accepts it, “…I have finally learned to tell fantasy from reality. And, knowing the difference, I choose fantasy” “I am pure imagination. And in imagination I will remain” (90-1).

Through the use of deception and acceptance as an art, the play shows the true power of love, no matter what it is a love for. “Love warped my judgment, blinded my eyes, and rearranged the very lines of my face….” (92). Gallimard so longed for a perfect woman to love, and though his perfect woman was a Chinese Spy. He was so blinded by his image of his perfect woman; the

Some topics in this essay:
Act Scene, Song Gallimard, Butterfly Butterfly, Helga Gallimard, Love Blind, Gallimard Gallimard, Chinese Spy, perfect woman, act scene, , act scene six, acceptance fantasy, helga gallimard, deceit gallimard, own personal, scene six, social status, gallimard own, love fantasy,