In “M. Butterfly” David Hwang tried to link imperialism, racism, and sexism in a very complicated love affair between a French diplomat named Rene Gillimard and a Chinese male actor named Song Liling. Gillamard so desperately wants Song to be his fantasy stereotypical Asian woman who is beautiful, submissive and will do anything for her love that he ignores all evidence that would reveal to him that Song is a man and a spy for the Chinese government. One sign than Gillimard ignored is Song’s refusal to remove all her clothes in front of him even thought they already slept together and after they planned to have a child together “Gillimard: I want to see you…naked. Song: I thought you understood my modesty...” It is here where the submissive woman fantasy of Gillimard is broken when Song refuses to remove her clothes, yet Gillimard looks past it and accepts that Song is embarrassed of her body because he is in love with her. After the love affair begins, he compares his relationship with Song to the one in Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly.” In that opera a submissive Asian woman waits for her western lover for 3 years, however when he does return he takes his child and the Asian woman kills her self because “Death w

Even though Gillimard though he was in control, the ironic part of the play is that it is not Gillimard who is in control but Song. On example of how Song controls Gillimard is by saying “I’m pregnant” and this puts Gillimard in a position to propose to Song “I want to marry you.” Song takes full control of Gillimard and milks him for information, since she is a spy. Gillimard was so caught up in his fantasies that he accepted that the child that Song shows him was his “Song: He looks like you. Gillimard: Oh! Well, babies are never very attractive at birth. ” The old stereotype of the dominating west and the submissive east are reversed. It is Gillimard the one that is being controlled by Song for the quest to gain information regarding the Vietnam War. As Song gets the information out of Gillimard, she passes it on to comrade, Chin “Song: The Americans will increase troops in Vietnam to 170,000 soldiers with 120,000 militia and 11,000 American advisors.” When Gillimard finally finds out that Song in indeed a man, and that his “perfect woman” was only a fantasy Gillimard kills himself. In the end, it is Gillimard who dresses up like a butterfly and kills himself, be