ipl-logo

Fantasy Vs Reality In M Butterfly

1054 Words5 Pages

Who Holds The Power?

M Butterfly written by David Henry Hwang is a play composed about a tragic story between an unbalanced relationship between two lovers. Renee Gallimard lived twenty years of lies; he allowed himself to live in a fantasy where he was with a perfect woman; someone who’s obedient and ready to yield to a man. However, in the back of Gallimard’s mind, he knew that his lover, Song Liling, was not actually the woman he projected to be, but was a man. Gallimard tried to live out his fantasy and idea of Song to fulfill his dreams. On the other hand, Song was fully aware of the reality of their relationship, she used Gallimard to help herself and meet her own needs. The different aspects each character has on their relationship change views of common …show more content…

A major stereotype in the text is the idea of fantasy versus reality; this changes the aspect of Gallimard’s and Song’s whole relationship. Fantasy is all part of a person’s imagination, nothing more then the idea of something existing. Reality tells everyday life for how it is, where there is proof of existence. The importance of this difference is the fact that Gallimard’s fantasy made him live in a different world, where he adjusted his everyday life to fulfill his dream. This later caused him to drive himself into full-fledged insanity, he becomes obsessed with the idea of a perfect woman and he denies any possible truth that goes against his ideas. The idea of living in Gallimard’s perfect dream blurs out reality and any stereotypes society follows. He makes them seem un-important and acts as if it doesn’t apply to their relationship. The idea of fantasy and reality destroys Gallimard’s life; it also changes his perspective of other stereotypes and destructive

Show More
Related

  • Imagery And Foreshadowing In Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

    657 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was useful for Alvarez to apply literary and rhetorical devices to enhance the appropriate understandings of her symbols, and foreshadowing in her novel. The four sisters were most known as “Las Mariposas”, which in the English language translates to Butterflies. “Even in the church during the privacy of the holy communion, Father Gabriel bent down and whispered “Viva la Mariposa”” (Alvarez 259). Butterflies are known for its beauty, freedom, and short term lives. Which all three known facts represents the Maribel sisters, they had the face of angels but strong and determined to fight against Trujillo and the regime.

    Read More

  • Butterfly In The Time Of The Butterflies

    159 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the novel In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez uses the motif of a butterfly to compare the four sisters and depict their experiences. A butterfly undergoes complete metamorphosis, and the larvae grows to become completely different than the adult butterfly. They begin as eggs, then become the larva, or caterpillar. They continuously grow throughout this stage caterpillar stage. After full growth, a caterpillar develops into a pupa, or chrysalis; which is kept protected inside a silk cocoon.

    Read More

  • The Butterflies Themes

    791 Words  | 4 Pages

    In “The Time Of The Butterflies” is a book written by Julia Alvarez in which a family during the time of Trujillo 's dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. In the one of the themes which was “power” took place was with Trujillo’s bown. The main characters were Minerva, Trujillo, Maria Teresa, Dede, Fela, and Patria. Each sister has different stories going through their lives in the theme of power. For example When Trujillo was sitting down with his son at the girl’s skit they had made it was all going as planned until Sinita got up and walked towards Trujillo and pointed the bow at him.

    Read More

  • In The Time Of The Butterflies And Hamlet Reaction Essay

    977 Words  | 4 Pages

    To begin, in both Hamlet by William Shakespeare and In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, the theme of action vs. inaction is prevalent. People's choices to act or not act can have serious consequences, and in both works, characters make choices that result in death and tragedy. This essay will analyze the causes of action and inaction in the two works, and examine the consequences of such choices. It will argue that love can cause people to act, while fear can cause people not to act, and that in both works, inaction has serious consequences. To continue, love is a powerful motivator that can cause people to act, even when the stakes are high.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In In The Time Of Butterflies

    245 Words  | 1 Pages

    A significant piece of figurative language that the author included in the novel,” In The Time of Butterflies “ is, “I can see my hand in an endless slow-motion rise a mind all its own and come down on the astonished, made up the face(Alvarez 100).” This example of personification tells us about in the book when Minerva slapped Trujillo. Although hands don't usually have a mind of their own, this connects to the type of character that Minerva is. This shows how brave and very mischievous she is. Minerva doesn't really care about high power

    Read More

  • Symbolism In In The Time Of The Butterflies

    430 Words  | 2 Pages

    Often in works of literature, symbolism reveals significant information about characters and the theme of the work as a whole. Symbolism in the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, is an example of this. The novel is set in the Dominican Republic, during a period of the tyrannical control of Rafael Trujillo. The Mirabal sisters, (Patria, Dede, Minerva, and Maria Teresa) from whom the point of view is set, are involved in the underground movement to rebel against Trujillo’s regime. Alverez uses symbolism to support the idea that those who may be initially considered harmless can make the biggest impact.

    Read More

  • Bug Play Analysis

    1024 Words  | 5 Pages

    Bug, by Tracy Letts, is a dark mind altering thriller. Bug takes place in a run down sketchy motel room in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The play centers on Agnes who is a 44-year-old divorced waitress who is trying to hide out from her recently paroled abusive ex-husband Jerry, and the other main character Bug is Peter. Peter is a 27-year-old man who was in the Gulf War. It is unclear if Peter was discharged from the military, or if he went AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave).

    Read More

  • Summary Of Steel Magnolias

    763 Words  | 4 Pages

    The play provides both comedic and mournful moments. In the end of the play, it is deeply revealing of the powerful bond the women share. Robert Harling uses conflict, mood, tone, and characters to portray this. The title suggest that women are delicate like

    Read More

  • Power In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    513 Words  | 3 Pages

    Power is a fragile thing. It can be something physical and tangible or it can be something discarnate, something of the mind. Power can be fleeting; just because one side holds more power, doesn’t mean the other side is powerless, an idea exemplified in Hills Like White Elephants. Although the man hold more power within his relationship to the girl, she holds power in the fact that she understands their relationship is doomed. While he will be unable to comprehend the downward trajectory of their affair until it is too late, she knows that going through with it - whatever it is - will not save their relationship.

    Read More

  • To Pimp A Butterfly Analysis

    660 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” is another example of his lyrical genius in the music industry. The album was claimed as a masterpiece in the “Rolling Stone” magazine and that doesn’t even begin to describe how amazing the album is. The album was released on March 15, 2015 on Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath Entertainment, and was distributed by Interscope Records. “TPAB” was produced by Dr. Dre and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. In an interview with “Rolling Stone” magazine Lamar stated that, "Just putting the word 'pimp' next to 'butterfly'…

    Read More

  • Role Of Manhood In The Great Gatsby

    630 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a male-centric society, everything revolves around the predominant definition of maleness or manhood. It is what everything else hinges on. If the definition of manhood changed, everything else would change and paradoxically, it can only change when everything else changes. It will only change when the definition of manhood has to change for some reason.

    Read More

  • Trifles Gender Roles

    823 Words  | 4 Pages

    The one-act play, “Trifles,” by Susan Glaspell, has several themes that are incorporated within it. There are several dominant ideas such as female identity, patriarchal dominance, isolation, and justice are themes that are all reflected in different ways throughout the play; however, gender is the main theme of “Trifles.” There is a considerable difference between the roles of the men and the women in this play. The men are expected to act in a more controlling, dominant way, while the women are expected to act in the typical ‘housekeeper’ fashion. The theme of gender is brought out through the play in many dramatic elements such as character, tone, and dramatic irony.

    Read More

  • Feminist Roles In Pygmalion

    2825 Words  | 12 Pages

    This play consists of a lot many themes. To cite a few: Rewriting the tale of Cinderella and Sleeping beauty, Class, language and phonetics and Independence. But in this paper, I would like to work on the feminist aspect of this play for this aspect, is the one which impressed me more. As this paper is based on Gender analysis I am restricting my analysis to the theme of Feminism in this play.

    Read More

  • Mathilde's Greed In The Necklace By Guy De Maupassant

    785 Words  | 4 Pages

    (227). Mathilde's dishonest behavior represents her fear of appearing ordinary in front of society, when in fact, taking Madame Forestier’s necklace to appear affluent is an act. Her actions, conversations, and thoughts let readers understand Mathilde's distinct

    Read More

  • Queerness In M. Butterfly

    1481 Words  | 6 Pages

    Using queerness as a lens of which to read Typical American by Gish Jen and David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly, one can begin to examine the layers of identity in the Western perception of Asians and Asian immigration to the U.S. Though these authors take differing approaches to discussing queerness—queerness is the subtext of Jen’s novel while it is the main focus of Hwang’s play—they both critique the heteronormativity and gender binary and queerness’ intersection with America. This essay will discuss the impact heteronormativity then character’s interactions with the concept of gender. Heteronormativity encompasses several issues these writers grapple with: compulsory monogamy and heterosexuality as the only option for relationships. On the

    Read More

More about Fantasy Vs Reality In M Butterfly

Open Document