Desperately seeking stereotypes: David Henry Hwang and M. Butterfly

Re is a de Es udios No eame ica no s, nº 2 ( 1993 ). pp. 53 -64. DESPERATELY SEEKING STEREOTYPES: DAVID HENRY HWANG AND M. BU11ERFLY Roc o G. DA s Uni e sidad de Na a a Elaine Kim, inA sian Ame ican Li e a u e: An ln oduc ion o he W i ings and hei Social Con ex , he c i ical s udy o one o he mos ib an li e a u es in Ame i ca oday, has s a ed ha he ask o Asian Ame ican w i e s is o "con ibu e o he o al ima ge and id en i y o Ame ica by depic ing h ei own expe ience and by de ining hei own humani y as pa o he composi e image o he Am e ican p eo pl e" (22). One o he maja a eas o con lic in his a sk o desc ibing and p e sen ing an accu a e po ai 0 he Asian in Ame ica is he ba le ha has had o be ough agains s e eo ypes. Ca ica u es o Asians ha e been pa o Am e ican pop ula cul u e o gene a ions: he powe -hung y despo , he helpless hea hen, he sen suo us d agan lady, he co mi cal l oya l se an , and he pudg y, desexed de ec i e who quo es Con ucius a e ali pa o he s anda d Am e ican ima ge o he Asian (Kim 3 ). Anglo-Ame ican w i e s o so ne li e a y me i ha e used hese popula models, and ske ches o hese Asian cha ac e s can be ound in he wo ks o B e Ha e, Ja ck London, John S einbeck, Amb ose Bie ce, F a nk No is and o he w i e s o he Ame ican We s . Os ensibly in ending o p o ide sympa he ic iews o he Chinese, hese w i e s could o e li le mo e h an con en ional c ha ac e s consis ing o agmen s ha a icula ed he mos ob ious aspec s o di e ence. Knowing li le abou he eali ies o Asían li e in Ame ica, hese w i e s end ed o depic he Chine se as "helpless o pa he ic o e ni gma i c people, and ( hey) used Chinese cha ac e s p ima ily o expose h e igno a nce and ollies o he whi e men who we e hei maja concem" (K im 14). Because o his, o o e a hund ed yea s, popula p esen a ions o Asians in Ame ican li e a u e has emained a a le el pe h aps bes desc ibed as s e eo ypical. 54 Rocío G. Da is This condi ion in he de elopmen o Anglo-Ame ican w i ing has i s oo s in all o Wes em li e a u e's classic concep ion o he Eas . Con ining Asian cul u e and pe sonali y o a clus e o easily ecognizable and managable cha ac e is ics is a phenomenon desc ibed by Edwa d Said in O ien alism. The O ien , he mys e ious land on i e o he side o he ocean, is, acco ding o Said, almos a Eu opean in en ion, and had been since an iqui y a place o omance, exo ic beings, haun ing memo ies and landscapes, ema kable expe iences ( 1 ). l is a i e same ime, as seen h ough Wes e n eyes, a land and a people ha seek o be domina ed and ha pe mi , e en desi e, a molding acco ding o he o eign s anda d. The encoun e be ween he Wes e ne and he O ien al, as e lec ed in li e a u e, is consequen ly p esen ed as a se ies o possible dealings in which he o me cons an ly demons a es his supe io i y. As such, he in e ac ion be ween he Occiden al wo ld and he O ien is habi ually shown o be a ela ionship o powe and domina ion, o a ying deg ees o a complex cul u al hegemony. The key o su ch a phenomenon, acco ding o Said, is ha " he O ien was O ien alized, no only because i was disco e ed o be 'O ien al' ... bu because i could be - ha is, submi ed o being -made O ien al" (227). The esul ing a i ude owa ds he O ien al emphasized an insu moun able di e ence anda supposed in e io i y o he Eas em cul u e. Only an Occiden al, Said explains, could speak o O ien als jus as i was he Whi e Man who could designa e and name he nonwhi es; and e e y a i ma ion made by hem ega ding he O ien als se ed p ima ily o con ey he sense o a dis ance, mo e i educible han a me ely physical one, sepa a ing he Wes om he Eas (229). A clea mani es a ion o his , o example, is he popula ac ha dis inc ions a nong Asians by Caucasians a e a e. Wes eme s ha e adi ionally ound i di icul o dis inguish be ween he Asian na ionali ies, no ha e hey always made much e o o do so. The basis o his chasm is clea ly he adi ion o educa ion and p ejudice ha has kep he O ien al in a posi ion o objec o be s udied by he Occiden al. F om his poin o iew, i may be obse ed ha s e eo ypes o acial mino i ies in he Wes a e a eco d o p ejudices; hey o en se e as pa o an a emp o jus i y a ious a i udes and p ac ices. Kim has asse ed ha i e unc ion o s e eo ypes o Asians in Anglo-Ame ican li e a u e has been o p o ide li e a y i uals h ough which he my hs o whi e sup emacy migh be con inually ea inned, o he e e las ing de imen o he Asian (22). In he po ayal o he Asians, ace has cus oma ily been conside ed mo e signi ican han cul u e and cu so y mo al judgemen s we e made on he basis o skin colo and he sbape o he eye. These acial s e eo ypes may he e o e ha e been he p incipal impedimen o he Wes eme ' s abili y o unde s and, in e p e and accep he Asian. None heless, he cons an use o he ca ica u e o o he accep ed model in li e a y ep esen a ion poin s o a mo e complica ed ques ion. To s e eo ype, G. W. Allpo in bis The Na u e o P edjudice ells us, is o place a newly encoun e ed en i y in o a p ees ablished ca ego y o sa e onesel he e o and ime o ge ing o know he Despe a ely Seeking S e eo ypes: Da id Hen y Hwang and M. Bu e ly 55 en i y and ha ing o hink abou i . Whe he a o able o un a o able, a s e eo ype can be conside ed an exagge a ed belie associa ed wi h a ca ego y whose unc ion is o jus i y o e en a ionalize ou conduc in ela ion o ha ca ego y (Allspo 191 ). Consequen ly, s e eo ypes end o be sel - e lexi e, elling us mo e abou he pe son holding he s e eo ype han he one being s e eo yped. The u h behind he s e eo ype he e o e, mo e han an obse a ion and anal y sis o he o he , is almos ce ainly he need o ha e a pa icula belie la e he obse e 's ani y and gi e him a sense o powe .. In his se nse, Anglo-Ame ican li e a u e ha d eals wi h Asians does no ell us abou Asians. I ells us abou he Wes e ne s' opinion o hemsel es, in ela ion o hei opinions o Asians. As such, i is use ul p ima ily in ha i illus a es how acism e lec s cu l u e. The Anglo-Ame ican po ayal o he Asían se es as a oil o desc ibe he Occiden al as "no -Asian": when he Asían is hea less and eache ous, he Anglo is shown indi ec ly as imbued wi h in eg i y and humani y; when he Asían is a chee lul anddocilein e io , he p ojec s he Anglo's bene olence and impo ance (Kim 4 ). The assump ion ha a i udes and beha io pa ems a e acially inhe i ed is clea ly demons a ed, and he emphasis is always on he pe manen di e ences and he es ablishmen o a se ies o belie s ha de ine he Wes eme as supe io physically, spi i ually, and mo ally. One o he mos in e es ing il!us a ions on he na u e o he s e eo ypes is he po ayal o Asian women. Jus as Asians in gene al a e depic ed as helpless, igno an and easily anquished by he Wes eme 's ob ious supe io i y, he combina ion o he cul u al and gende s e eo ype in he Asían woman makes he an especially a ac i e a ge o he Wes e n man. She is he e o e, o he mos pa , po ayed in ela ion o . he whi e man as a oil o his i ili y and magne ism; his man is adi ionally he sou ce o he libe a ion she seeks om he own cul u e and p omises a new and be e li e. I is easy o de ine he ange o he s e eo ypes ha pe sis o he Asían woman in Anglo-Ame ican li e a u e. All a e e o lessly iden i iable, and Amy Ling explaios ha hey can be summa ized in o pola ex emes, oughly pa allel o he who e/ madonna o o he "madwoman in he a ic"/ "angel in he house" dicho omies o whi e women. A one end o he spec um is he D agon Lady, a emale coun e pa o he diabolical FuManchu. Wi h he alon-like six-inch ingemails, he skin- igh sa ín d ess sli o he high, she can poison a ma ias easily as she seduc i ely smiles a nd pu s on he oo -Iong ciga e e holde . An "O ien al" Ci ce, she is as desi able as she is dange ous. A he opposi e end o he spec um is he Shy Lo us Blossom o ChinaDoll: demu e, diminu i e, andde e en ial. She is modcs , i e ing behind he delica e i o y hand, eyes downcas , always walking 1 O s eps behind he man, and, bes o ali, de o ed body and soul o se ing him (11 ). 56 Rocío G. Da is While hese ecognizable e sions ha e lou ished in Wes e n li e a u e o o e a cen u y, i was he c ea ion o he cha ac e known o he wo ld as Madama Bu e ly ha conclusi ely de ined he Asían woman's s e eo ypical model. lnspi ed by he success o John Lu he Long's sho s o y Madame Bu e jly (1898), New Yo k di- ec o Da id Belasco in 1900 collabo a ed wi h Long o p oduce he my hic s age ep esen a ion o Madame Bu e jly. While hese ea ly p ojec s enjoyed so ne success, i was he ope a ic p oduc ion ha ul ima ely consec a ed he s e eo ype. Madama Bu e jly, a cul u al "classic" -music by Giacomo Puccini, lib e o by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica ha debu ed a La Scala in 1904 - emains a s aple o con empo a y ope a epe oi e, s ill one o he mos pe o med ope as a ound he wo ld. The agic he oine o his ope a is a guably he mos ecognizable and popula s e eo ypical ep esen a ion o he ideal o he Asían woman. The plo o he ope a is well known. Pinke on, a bo ed na y cap ain s a ioned in Nagasaki, akes a wedding o de elop a liason wi h a young Japanese woman. A e he depa s, she gi es bi h o his child and hen awai s his e um, ai h ul o him and us ing in his p omise. Pinke on does e um, accompanied by his Ame ican wi e, bu only o claim his child. As "dea h wi h hono is be e han li e wi h dishono ," he only ecou se le o Cho- cho san is suicide. Madama Bu e jly d aws on and eci cula es amilia o ien alis models. I hamesses and elabo a es on he a ious adi ionally acknowledged emblems o Japanese iden i y: Cho-cho san is a geisha, ha quin essen ial Wes e n pa agon o Japanese women; he manne o he dea h is he o m o suicide con en ionally associa ed in he We s wi h Japan; and he cons uc ion o he Japanese as a "people accus omed o li le hings, humble and silen ". In his s o y, Asianness was econs i u ed as an objec o be looked a , pinned o a boa d wi h a p ecisely placed needle h ough i s hea . The beau y and he agedy o he ope a, as seen h ough Wes e n eyes, is ha he Asían woman is ul ima ely condemned o die, as he iden i y as a Japanese geisha demands. Bu e ly sac i ices e e y hing: he "h usband", h e eligion, he people, he son and, ul ima ely, he e y li e, o he lo e o a Wes eme . The ope a achie es i s success in his sense p incipally because i ca e s o he Occiden als' expec a ions. In Puccini's po ayal, "mena e men, women women, Japanese Japanese, Ame icans Ame icans, as de ined by amilia na a i econ en ions. And he p edic able happens: Wes wins o e Eas , Man o e Woman, Whi e Man o e Asían Woman" (Kondo 10). In 1988, Da id Hen y Hwang, son o i s -gene a ion Chinese immig an s, w o e M. Bu e ly, an awa d-winning play ha was o be a ejec ion o he s e eo ype o he Asian woman. Inspi ed by in ema ional newspape accoun s o an espionage ial in 19 86, in which a F ench diploma was accused o passing in o ma ion o a Chinese spy, he lo e whom he belie ed o wen y yea s o be a woman, Hwang c ea ed a d ama ha demos a es he ex en o he Wes eme 's desi e -his despe a e need - o belie e in he O ien al s e eo ype. Fo he playw igh , he "impossible" s o y Despe a ely Seeking S e eo ypes: Da id Hen y Hwang and M. Bu e ly 57 o a F enchman duped by a Chinese man masque ading as a woman seemed pe ec ly explicable; gi en he deg ee o misunde s anding be ween men and women and also be ween Eas and We s , he saw as ine i able ha a mis ake o his magni ude would one day ake place (Hwang I 988, 98). The playw igh himsel , when he began o wo k on he play, had no seen no ead he ope a, al hough he was amilia wi h he s e eo ype. He has s a ed ha pa o he appeal o him in wo king on his play was he ideao doing a "decons uc i is MadamaBu eljly" (Hwang 1988, 95). The esul ing d ama in igues by i s shee imp obabili y andcap i a es by i s u h, as he playw igh engages he audience in a discussion o cul u al and gende issues ha has a i s hea a se l - e lexi e s a emen abou he ela ionship be ween lo e and an asy. M. Bu eljly clea ly challenges Anglo-Ame ican ep esen a ions o Asians, and has as i s aim o dispel s e eo ypical pe cep ions o Asians, especially o Asian women. The play can only be ully unde s ood as a se o laye ed meanings cons uc ed o e o acco ding o a cen al o key me apho ical igu e - ha o Puccini' s Madama Bu eljly. Hwang ob iously conside s he Puccini ope a as a pa adigm o Eas -Wes ela ions and Wes e n biases in i s oman ic sen imen aliza ion o O ien al docili y and submissi emess and h ough bis play ques ions adi ional cul u al and gende assump ions. l s echnique is p incipally he sys ema ic dis up ion o accep ed belie : seeing how " ypical" Madama Bu eljly is, we app ecia e i s complexi y as na a i e oil o M. Bu eljly. Hwang ied o deal wi h a ce ain discom o in he pe cei ed "exo ic" elemen s o his wo k by acing i squa ely. "In e ec ," he has w i en, I'd like ~o hink Bu eljly says oan audience, 'All igh , we'll gi e you he o ien alia you seem o desi e, bu hen we' e also going o alk abou why you' e so a ac ed o his, and how ha a achmen o s e eo ype blinds you o he u h o you own expe ience' - in he case o my play' s decei ed F enchman, e en o he ex en o being unable o ell he ue gende o his Io e (Hwang 1989, 18). The ac ion o M. Bu eljly akes place in a Pa is p ison in he p esen , whe e Rene Gallima d awai s ia! and sen ence o espionage. He is accused o passing go e nmen in o ma ion o his lo e , Song Liling, he Chinese ope a singe wi h whom he has main ained a ela ionship o wen y yea s and who u as ou o be no only a spy bu also a man. The e en s leading up o his a es and he e ela ion o he u h a e old in lashback. Fil e ed h ough he memo ies, he p ejudices, he Iongings and he d eams o he F ench diploma , he na a i e con en ion o "submissi e O ien al woman and c uel whi e man" is played ou in man y di e en a enas, including, pe haps mos impo an ly, he space o an asy c ea ed and ep oduced by Gallima d himsel . The c ea i e sub e si eness o Hwang's play eme ges mos cl ea ly in con as wi h he con en ions o he ope a Madama Bu ei ly, o which i p o ides i onic coun e poin . Hwang eapp op ia es he con en ional na a i e o he pi i ul Bu e ly 58 Rocío G. Da is and he ope o he submissi e O ien al woman, up u ing he pe ec climax and he d ama ic ine i abili y o he s o yline (Kondo 7). Th e o mal id ea behind he play is o und in he p esen a ion o opposing social and psychologi ca l o ces in hei s u gg le o powe o e he imagina ion o he F ench diploma René Gallima d. Robe Skloo has poin ed ou ha Hwang c ea es he dynamic clash o hese opposi es on many le els. Mo eo e , he asse s, he images o bina y opposi ion (Eas !Wes , Communism/ Ca pi alism, Male/Female, Body/Mind, Reali y/Fan asy) a e g aphi ca lly p esen ed in pe o mance h ough he pe manen spa ial image o a long and ipped cu ed amp which se es o de ine an enclosu e whe e he sha ply angula in e io scenes o he play - Gallima d 's jail cell, Song's apa men - ake place (60). The play' s a ack on he s e eo ype is cen e ed p incipally on he idea o how gende and ace a e mu ually i nplica ed in he cons uc ion o iden i y, and he insidiousness o gende and acial s e eo ypes. The cha ac e Song Liling is gi en he ask o exposing he desi es and in e es s ha unde lie Occiden al concep ions o he "O ie n " and "O ien al," as (s)he akes ad an age o hese delusions o con ol and manipula e Galli na d, he p o o ypical Wes e n cha ac e . F om his i s appea ance on s age, Song's dialogue and ac ions a e cha ac e ized by hei i ony, anda ca e ul analysis o his ole demons a es Hwang' s cons an a ack aga ins he s e eo ype. A hei i s mee ing, a e Gallima d has p aised his pe o ma nc e as Madama Bu e ly and sigh ed o e he agic beau y o h e ope a, Song' s eply, ue o bis mi ssion, is: Conside i his way: wha would you say i a blonde ho necoming queen ell in lo e wi h a sho Japanese business nan? He ea s he c uelly, hen goes home o h ee yea s, du ing which ime s he p ays o bis pic u e and u ns down ma iage om a young Kennedy. Then, when she leams he has e na ied, she kills he sel . Now, 1 belie e you would conside his gi l o be a de anged idio , co ec ? Bu because i ' san O ien al who kills he se l o a Wes eme -ah!- yo u ind i beau i ul (17). This passage se s he one o he play and di ulges how M. Bu e ly will be cha ac e ized by i onic e e sals ha will pains akingly demolish a well-belo ed s e eo ype. The w o p incipal e e sals a e ully ca p u ed in he play's i le. M. Bu e ly alludes o i s o igin in Puccini's play, while a he same ime al e ing and expanding gende e e ence. A Wes e n eade mig h easily assu ne ha he "M." be o e "Bu e ly" in he i le e e s o "Madame," unconciously clinging o some hing ecognizable. Gende ambigui y is h e e o e p esen ai ead y in he i le -is i Madame, Monsieu , M ., M s., o Ms. Bu e ly? An Ame ican migh e en ead i as "Em Bu e ly", u he heigh ening con usion. The i le hus poin s o he i s impo an d ama ic e e sal in he pla y: he di sc o e y ha delica e ope a singe wi h whom Gallima d h as allen in !o e is no a Madame, as e e yone supposes, bu a Monsieu . This d ama ic and pain ul gende e e sa! is he no s in i ca ely cons uc ed Despe a ely Seeking S e eo ypes: Da id Hen y Hwang and M. Bu e ly 59 poin o he play. l s c edibili y Iies in he o e whelming powe o he s e eo ype and he Wes eme 's a i ude owa ds he Asian. The logic ha migh be expec ed o exis a he mos supe icial le els o plo and cha ac e consis ency is unde mined by Hwang's in e es in po aying his excep ional and in e es ed capaci y o sel - delusion (Pao 8). Gallima d alls in o he ap o his own cul u al and gende delusions as poin ed ou by Song Liling: " he Wes hinks o i sel as masculine -big guns, big indus y, big money -so he Eas is eminine -weak, delica e, poo ... bu good a a , and ull o insc u able wisdom - he eminine mys ique ... The Wes belie es he Eas , deep down, wan s o be domina ed-because a woman can' hink o he sel '(83). The only explana ion o he diploma 's no knowing ha Song Liling was ac ually a man is ha he chose no o know any hing ha would in e e e wi h his image o he ideal Asian woman who lo ed him comple ely and would gi e he Ji e o him. The ope a Madama Bu e ly is Hwang's ouchs one o he des uc ion o he s e eo ype as i se es as he an age poin ha p o ides Gallima d wi h his ision o he O ien and he women in i . The F ench diploma sees Song Liling o he i s ime a a pe o mance o he ope a, and hei ela ionship is o be cons uc ed wi h he ope a as backg ound. Gallima d openly ancies himsel o be Pinke on and wan s wha he had, sugges ing ha "while we men may all wan o kick Pinke on, e y ew o us would pass up he oppo uni y o be Pinke on"( 42). His ision o he O ien is clouded by he ose-colo ed enses o he my h o he docile Asían woman looking admi ingly a he Whi e man: "We, who a e no handsome, no b a e, no powe ul, ye somehow belie e, like Pinke on, ha we dese e a Bu e ly"(IO). Once he O ien alis backd op has been se , Gallima d will p e e an asy o u h, he s e eo ype o he eali y. Do ine Kondo has w i en ha Gallima d's · p oblem is ha "he will cling o an ideology o meaning as e e ence o no ions o iden i y: o him, clichéd images o gende , ace and geog aphy unp oblema ically occupy he inne space o iden i y, enabling ope a s a Song Liling o seduce h ough he play o inne u h and ou e appea ance" (15). Gallima d adhe es blindly o he s e eo yped images o women and o he O ien , whe e he assumes a di ec ela ionship be ween ou wa d appea ance and u h o sel . The idea o oneness be ween he ideal he nu u es o he Asian woman and Song Liling is so s ead as ha he is unable o see e en he di e ence be ween a 1960s Chinese ope a singe and a ic ional Japanese agic he oine. Gallima d' s an asy me ges he O ien in o one indis inguishable mass, elimina ing he di e ences among Chinese, Japanese and Vie namese. His is a ision o "slende women in chong sams and kimonos who die o he lo e o unwo hy o eign de ils. Who a e bo n and aised o be he pe ec women. Who ake wha e e punishmen we gi e hem, and bounce back, s eng hened by lo e, uncondi ionally" (91 ). Song is i e ocably ansmu ed in o Gallima d's own Madama Bu e ly, in spi e o e en he ob ious di e ence o na ionali y and he absu di y o su ch an occu ence. The F cnch nan' s ani y is a ouscd whcn accd wi h he ideal, and he Pinke on in him is un eiled: "He e ... he e was a Bu e ly wi h ll le o no oice -bu she had he g ace, 60 Rocío G. Da is he delicacy ... l belie ed his gi l. I belie ed he su e ing. l wan ed o ake he in my a ms -so delica e, e en I could p o ec he , ake he home, pampe he un il she smiled" (16). F om he i s momen , a se ies o s e eo ypes, explici o no , will domina e Gallima d and Song 's ela ionship, and pe mi he la e 's absolu e con ol. The idea o he Wes e n man as he Asian woman's deepes desi e and des iny will make Gallima d all i e ocably in lo e wi h Song, while belie ing ha he has he uppe hand and ha i is (s )he who is being o e come by passion. The appea ance o his iend Ma c, in he d eam scene in Ac One, u he con i ms he illusions he F enchman ha bou s in his hea : "She canno lo e you, i is aboo, bu some hing deep inside he hea . .. she canno help he sel ... she mus su ende o .you. I is he des iny"(25). Gallima d pa o s adi ional Wes e n concep ions o he Eas as he ou lines he de eloping phases o hei ela ionship: "O ien als will always submi o a g ea e o ce (46) .. .In my hea , 1 know she has ... an in e es in me. 1 suspec his is he way. She is ou wa dly bold and ou spoken, ye he hea is shy and a aid. l is he O ien al in he a wa wi h he Wes e n educa ion" (27). Song makes a a es y o he same classic belie s as (s)he eeds uel o Gallima d's delusions. (S)he plays o he diploma 's oman icism, knowing exac ly whe e his weak poin s a e, and using hem o hi s own ad an age. One calcula ed exchange in Ac One, when Gallima d goes o Song 's apa men o he i s ime, is pa adigma ic o he Chinese spy' s ca ica u e o he Wes e n ideal. "Ha d as 1 y o be mode n, o speak Iike a man, o hold a Wes e n woman's s o ng ace up o my own ... in he end, I ail. A small, igh ened hea bea s oo quickly and gi es me away. Monsieu Gallima d, I'm a Chinese gi l." The F enchman's esponse is o be an icipa ed: "Did you hea he way she alked abou Wes e n women? Much di e en ly han he i s nigh . She does - she eels in e io o hem -and o me" (31). Gallima d is hus held cap i e by his own illusion s. As he is d awn igh e in o he web o idealism and sen imen alism, he is mo e blinded o he u h abou he objec o his lo e. Fo Gallima d does !o e, passiona ely and o ally, as didMadamaBu e ly be o e him. Bu _ he undamen al pa o he ela ionship is he an asy, and only h ough his can Gallima d' s lo e be unde s ood. Wi hou ha i is no longe he same ela ionship. Gallima d is no in lo e wi h an Asían man, he desi es Madame Bu e ly. Hwang poin s o his as one o he cen al aspec s o he d ama: The play is o so ne deg ee abou he na u e o seduc ion -in he sense ha we seduce ou sel es. Some imes when you ha e he desi e o all in lo e o you desi e o ha e someone o be so ne kind o ideal, you can make ha pe son ideal in you own mind whe he o no he ac ual he ac ual ac s co espond o he eali y. I hink ha i 's o en ue in a smalle , less ex eme sense ha we ge in ol ed wi h people and decide o blind ou sel es o hei aul s so ha hey can be he pe ec lo e ha we' e always wan ed. And on so ne le e! we' e awa e ha Despe a ely Seeking S e eo ypes: Da id Hen y Hwang and M. Bu e ly 61 ha is no he case. Bu we p e e he an asy o e he eali y (DiGae ani, 143). In his obsession wi h he Pe ec O ien al Wo nan, Gallima d uly emains he p isone and he willing sac i icial ic im o his o ien alis cul u al clichés - a eal n o pu e i nagina ion. Galli na d can only ac he way he <loes because he knows and belíe es in he a is ic s uc u e o Madama Bu e jly. In despe a íon he c ies ou : "Why can' anyone unde s and? Tha in China, I once lo ed, and was lo ed by, e y si nply, he Pe ec Woman"(77). The ul i na e i ony is, o cou se, ha he Pe ec Wo nan is ac ually a man. In e es ingly enough, his e e sa! has í s oo s in kabuki, he classic Japanese hea e whe e men play he oles o women because i is belie ed ha "a wo nan can only be a wo nan whe eas a man can be he idealiza ion o a woman" (DiGae ani 146). Song echoes his p incipie saying " ... only a man knows how a woman is supposed o ac "(63), e e ing o he unlikelihood o Gallima d's ha ing allen in lo e wi h a eal Asían woman. This emphasizes he essen ial poin o he play: Galli na d did no wan a eal woman. He sough an ideal and ound, in Song Liling, Madama Bu e ly. Gallima d's decep ion because o p econcep ion is no li ni ed o he ques ion o gende . In e es ingly enough, he u h abou Song Liling goes beyond gende o challenge he e y na u e o s e eo ypical belie s e en mo e. The doub is no longe simply whe he o asc ibe o a s e eo ype o no , bu cen e s on which s e eo ype is beíng ega ded. The lack o a salid basis in ac o ces an ambigui y in adi ional classi ica ions in su ch a way ha he u h is blu ed on ali si des. In he c ea ion o Song Liling, Hwang p e se n s a cha ac e ha no only demolishes he ideal o he Asían woman, bu also hin ~ up o wha ex en s e eo ypes can con use. Th oughou he play, Song is p esen ed as demu e and docile; "a mode s Chinese gi l"(40). The e ela ion o he u h o his sex shows u he mo e how he no es o n he image o he Lo us Blossom o Amy Ling's de ini ion o i s s e eo ypical opposi e. The China doll is in eali y he D agon Lady, c a y and hea lessly cunning, o he poín o causíng Gallima d' s suicide. No only a e s e eo ypes decep í e as o ou wa d appea ances bu hey decei e because o hei ambiguí y, as hey can be con ounded among hemsel es. None heless, Hwang's sh ewd choice o i le conceals mo e han simple gende misiden í ica íon. The ue e e sal o he i le lies no in wha he " M." e e s o bu o whom i e e s. I in Madama Bu e jly he agic he oine is he Asian woman who dies o la e o a Wes e n man, he s e eo ype-des oying clímax in M. Bu e jly is ha he agic he o(ine) is a F enchman who commi s suicide o lo e o a Chinese (wo )man. "M. Bu e ly" <loes no ul ima ely e e o Song Liling d essed as a woman, bu poin s o he ans o ma ion Gallima d will unde go. Monsieu Gallima d is e ealed o be he eal "Mo nsieu " Bu e ly. Fu he mo e, in his play, Bu e ly, he consec a ed model o he ideal Asían woman, is o be a man in e e y sense. Song, who ac s like and p e ends o be Madama Bu e ly is p o en o be a man, and he one who ac ually embodies he agic a e o Bu e ly o he poin o dying like he , Gallima d, is a man. The ans o ma ion o Gallima d may also be hin ed a by u he name