Pure

Facing Reality in M Butterfly

Hardship of Life

In the play Madame Butterfly, there is the conflict between reality and fantasy when Gallimard, a French diplomat, falls in love with a Chinese actor and opera singer without realizing that his partner was male.   Gallimard held a relationship with Song for many years and though there were moments in which he was skeptical about Song’s “modesty,” yet he never once achieved in seeing Song naked during the time of their long relationship. Gallimard was happier not facing reality. He chose fantasy. However, fantasies don’t last forever.  The truth eventually rises and it is powerful enough to destroy everything you know or ever hoped for. 

Reality Destroys

Rene Gallimard is the perfect victim of losing his fantasy to his reality. In Act Two, Scene six, Gallimard reached a point of asking Song to strip. This, however, went against Song’s so called “modesty.” The conflict between the partners arose due to Gallimard’s skepticism. He began to question Song’s modesty. However, in that scene Gallimard feels reluctant and apologizes for making such a request from Song. Gallimard’s actions can be described as sad. Gallimard is man who never received attention from women,  and when he finally achieves it he would rather lie to himself to continue being happy. Happiness is difficult to obtain and even the smallest fragment of it can drive someone to blind themselves of reality. In real life scenarios people tend fall into a denial stage of something negative that’s going in their relationship.  they don’t want to let go of what makes them happy in some moments. Evidently though people can turn out to be toxic. This was Gallimard. He didn’t want to face the losing love so he tricked himself into believing that Song was perfect.

Denial Explained

Gallimard’s emotions took over. These emotions are both complex and powerful thusly leading to “a strong influence over a person's ability to interpret facts” (Psychology Today). In Gallimard’s case, he was influenced by the happy state that he was in. He had a “woman”under his control and “she” would beckon him at his desire. Chances are that Gallimard justified his relationship with Song with denial and some delusion. “Reality feels constricting, so denial rules” (Psychology Today).

The Cost

The cause of Gallimard lying to himself instead of facing the facts was that he wanted to be on top of the world for as long as he could. the effect of Gallimard keeping his relationship with Song is that he lost everything. Gallimard threw away the marriage he had previous to meeting Song, and threw away his position.Granted Gallimard most likely didn’t know about Song’s involvement as a secret spy for the chinese government, however, even if he did would he of just created another justification for his denial? Taking Gallimard’s actions into perspective, I believe he would have. “Happiness is so rare that our mind can turn somersaults to protect it” (pg 851). The quote by Gallimard proves the earlier statement about justifying denial. The quote states that as long as there is some positive outcome in failing to see the facts, then by all means continue the denial. This was Gallimard’s way of thinking.

This I Believe

In the play what surprised me the most was the how powerful the mind can be. Gallimard had sexual intercourse with Song most likely in multiple occasions. Previous to the sexual intercourse, Gallimard never saw Song completely naked. At the moment where Gallimard asks Song to strip, the reader knows that Gallimard suspects something is off about Song. Gallimard knew that Song wasn’t female and though they coincided with anal intercourse, Gallimard falls for Song’s pregnancy act. In the play had to have been the biggest red flag. Still, Gallimard doesn’t find out the truth until the trial day. For twenty years, Gallimard believed what he wanted. No amount of obviousness alerted him to snap out of his daze. I believe that behind the denial act, Gallimard was also trying to deny his sexuality.