M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang The relationship between a man and a woman has been a constant struggle of inferiority since the beginning of time. The role of the woman has evolved from someone who is not allowed to have an opinion, to the owner of a multi-million dollar company. Over the years women have developed passion and ability to fight for what they believe in. However, in some countries women are still placed at the bottom of the social list and their constant battle over how their culture looks and perceives women in modern society is difficult to win. David Henry Hwang depicts the difficulties of a woman in Chinese society in his drama M. Butterfly.M. Butterfly's themes of sexuality, culture, and ethnicity have made it one of the most controversial works of all time. The relationship that Gallimard and Song form causes a divide in how the relationship between a man and a woman is viewed. Since Gallimard does not know that Song is actually a spy, it becomes increasingly difficult for anyone to understand how a husband could not know that his wife was a man after twenty years of marriage. It becomes apparent that Gallimard's love for Song is extremely strong and unconditional, and even after the trial proves that Song is a man, Gallimard appears to still be somewhat in love with Song. Chinese culture believes that a woman who does not speak, think, act or feel is the perfect woman. In the United States, opinions about women have begun to change as their positions in the world are constantly fought over. However, when M. Butterfly was written, things had not begun to change for women in Communist China, and the respect they deserved was non-existent. In China, a woman's purpose is to please him... middle of paper... like Song in M. Butterfly, she is often much more attractive to the opposite sex than those who are open. Chinese culture is much stricter than that of many other countries in the world, and while some customs and beliefs might be helpful, many of those regarding women are very old and strict. If the practice of these traditions continues, Chinese women will never be able to break free from the constant dissent of their gender, and women like Song Liling will never be seen with the respect and equality they deserve. Works Cited Hwang, David H. After. M. Farfalla. New York: New American Library, 1988.94-100.Hwang, David H.M. Butterfly. Literature and the writing process. Leah Jewell. 6th ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day and Robert Funk. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 2002. 706-750.