Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2000. [Vol. 6.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)
Studies - András Tarnóc: "we deserve a Butterfly ": The Reversal of the Post-colonial Self in David Henry Hwang 's M. Butterfly
in fact Gallimard was the one who fell for the bait. Song could not have known about Gallimard's obsession with the Butterfly myth, as (s)he shows an honest surprise and disapproval of Gallimard's enthusiasm over the story. Therefore Gallimard as the initiator is conditioned by ethnocentrism and sexism. His impassioned statement: "I believed this girl. I believed her suffering. I wanted to take her in my arms—so delicate, even I could protect her, take her home, pamper her until she smiled" (2831) reinforces the notion of romantic paternalism. Gallimard, preoccupied with the Butterfly myth, primarily sees Song as a character from that myth, not as an opera singer. On the receiving end Song goes along with the deception after all it is 1960, the Far East is in political turmoil, and his mission is to gain intelligence data concerning the plans of Americans in Vietnam. In this case therefore Gallimard is the producer of the discourse and Song is the receiver assigning the former a dominant position. It is Gallimard who initiates the conversation and the relationship, and the cruel irony of the situation is that he believes that he is in control, acting as the stereotypical or quintessential Western male protecting the innocent Eastern woman. His message is one of protection, and superiority, coupled with the West seeking redemption from the East: "I knew this little flower was waiting for me to call. . .1 felt for the first time that rush of power —the absolute power of a man" (2840). Song willingly accepts this role acting as the innocent, fragile Cho Cho San "giving his shame" to Gallimard. Gallimard at the end of the play sums up the principal semiotic context of the drama: "I'm a man who loved a woman created by a man" (2867). This statement excludes the ethnic or racial aspect and places the situation clearly on sexual grounds. This is a crucial phase because once again the position of the producer and receiver of the discourse changes. The man who creates the woman is the producer and initiator of the discourse. The fact of creation and the donning of the disguise emphasize male superiority over females paralleling the racial framework of black face minstrelsy. As Varró argues, in blackface minstrelsy the logonomic system also expresses an alternative condition, the reinforcement of existing stereotypes (68). Taken from the second half of the premise —a woman created by a man —a stereotypical, submissive, fragile, sexually accommodating 104
