Izzo 1

Julio Izzo

Holly Batty

English 102

7 November 2018

A Lens through Sex, Gender & Stereotypes with M. Butterfly &

Left Hand of Darkness

Queer Theory is the combined area of gay and lesbian studies concerning all modes of

variance from the normative model of biological sex, gender identity, and sexual desires. In the

texts, M. Butterfly by Henry David Hwang and Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin, there

are similarities and differences with each other and through these readings we will see how each

author treated the issues of gender, sexuality and race. We’ll see whether their works subvert or

promote hierarchical binary oppositions and what these texts say about post-colonial theory,

gender roles, and stereotypes. Through this essay we will see how arguments can be made

through these stories like M. Butterfly just being a case where Song strictly played the role of a

spy to gain information and nothing more, and in Left Hand of Darkness, where Ai’s journey was

specifically mission only and learning the ways of the Gethenians to ultimately come together.

But first, we will go over M. Butterfly’s story line and how post-colonial Theory, gender and

stereotypes come into play, followed by the Left Hand of Darkness and its gender and sex roles,

and will compare gender, ethnic stereotypes and sex roles that evidently connect together.

First, regarding M. Butterfly, we focus on post-colonial Theory, gender and ethnic

stereotypes. the word “gender", which is the mode of being male or female" has evolved over
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time as means to define the orientation of one’s personal identity" rather than to classify one’s

biological distinctions. Furthermore, ethnic stereotypes are a system of beliefs about typical

characteristics of members of a given ethnic group or nationality, their status, society and

cultural norms. Hwang examines and reverses by rewriting the Butterfly myth of Puccini's opera.

Referring to current feminist and post-colonial criticism, it demonstrates how gender and cultural

identities are discussed in interaction and are thus always performative.

Moreover, such performance is only effective in cooperation with an audience.

Performance and perception are ultimately two different sides. Choosing an Asian transgender

for the protagonist of the play, Hwang unmasks preconceived notions of man and woman, as

well as Occident and Orient. He mentions the very foundations of Western consciousness and

identity by rearranging its binary structure. Yet, after having generated some gender and cultural

trouble, he binds all loose ends neatly up that perfect role reversal (Ilka Saal. American Studies.

Engendering Manhood (1998). The binary structure stays complete after all. Hwang's portrayal

of sexuality, playing down the homosexual desire of his two protagonists, he forgoes the play's

potential to queer and collapse Western binaries.

The playwright uses the figure of Post-Colonial theory to lay bare the construction and

performativity of gender and culture. “It’s one of your favorite fantasies, isn't it? The submissive

Oriental women and the cruel white man.” This also shows how the oriental in M. Butterfly see’s

the Orient man as someone that can dig their way into someone’s heart and hurt in with no

remorse. No worry. Additionally, the encounter between Occident and Orient has generally been

cast by Western insight as a vindictive plot: The strong Caucasian man meets, sees, and subdues

the fragile, gentle Asian woman.

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“The most shocking deception of the play is that Song is able to convince Gallimard that

he is a woman for over twenty years while they are engaged in a sexual affair. Song

accomplishes this by taking advantage of Gallimard’s stereotype of Oriental women as

submissive and shy, especially when compared to Western women. For example, in reference to

the opera Madame Butterfly, he says “in real life, women who put their total worth at less than

sixty-six cents are quite hard to find” (Hwang. Ch.1 pg. 13) and is able to accept the fact that

Song never completely undresses for him because he thinks that Chinese girls are traditionally

modes”.

With the expansion of the Western empire, something like this has been deeply rooted in

our consciousness and culture. It is probably most clearly expressed in Giacomo Puccini’s opera

Madame Butterfly. Hwang exhibits that such colonial assumptions go hand in hand with

normative heterosexuality” (Ilka Saal. American Studies. Engendering Manhood (1998). The

play M. Butterfly handles the groundwork of Western identity by questioning and troubling its

dependence on binary oppositions. Yet the playwright does not manage to do without these

binary aversions. Therefore, he cannot fully conquer the colonial burden of the Western canon.

Through this play, you see the connection from Song transform into a well-suited man, in court

testifying. This is where some will come to argue that it has deliberately been a straight forward

mission to be a spy, get information and continue with his life and hold no connection intact. But

moving on, Gallimard and Song are revealed together in Act 3 Scene 2, when Gallimard laughs

at himself for wasting 20 years to be fooled, Song continues to want Gallimard’s love and

affection, “It’s the same skin you worshiped for years, touch it...I am your Butterfly” she later

concludes.
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Towards the end of M. Butterfly, I was curiously questioning Gallimard’s sexuality, what

he is aware of regarding his sexuality and ultimately his relationship with Song. Conclusively,

the very end of the play returns us to something else, a transformation and freedom of the

butterfly that lies within as he releases himself. The play hints to wonder who and what we fall in

love with. It’s “The ultimate subversion of Hwang’s: Power and survival rests, as it has from the

beginning, with the “other.” The perceived-to-be passive is far from that; the traditional victim

most definitely isn’t (Tim Teeman. The Daily Beast. 2017). But what stays true is that death is

the inevitable price of what seems like an impossible love.

Though many themes arise in Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness, gender and

sex roles are two of obvious recurring ones. To start, the author immediately discusses the

sexuality and obscure nature of gender on the planet Gethen, or Winter to best paint a picture

where the story takes place. Gender issues emerge in the fantasy on multiple occasions. From

conflict within the protagonist, Genly Ai, being the “alien” in this scenario, tables have turned on

this planet and Ai is the one that does not fit in. So, he is an outcast but lucky these planets are

more welcoming than we are sed to. And then also issues regarding political affairs to

"kemmering" or there, “on the prowl” time of the month.

“When Mr. Ai, as he is referred to in the story, is introduced, you begin to discover that

he is truly masculine like one would imagine from body structure to personality traits.

Ursula describes the conflict that Ai’s understanding the Gethenian way. The fact that they are

gender neutral for all but a few days a month puzzles him, and this is an issue he discusses in

several scenario’s in the book. In chapter 1 page 12, he is sitting with Estraven thinking about

the fact that he is having difficulty seeing him as he is and then seeing him as an actual man or
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woman. He discusses how Estraven’s efforts and performance at the table had been very

feminine, yet he did not see him as a woman.

The author integrates this theme into her book to try to show the reader that maybe one

day a place will exist in which being a man or woman does not predetermine the life that one

will lead. She also shows the reader that a story which involves sex in whatever form it may

have, can also exist without sex, while also making a notion to not live by socialy implied

conclusions. “I believe Le Guin’s work although is not sexuality-centered novel plays a major

role in seeing how human beings can be divided regarding their sex, gender and sexuality. Also,

I want to emphasize that she gives a gender choice and not force it, which I see it as a feminist

thought. Le Guin teaches feminists ideas through the gender tension created by a driven desire to

free all men and women from traditional methodology of treating and constructing the concept of

gender, and minoritizing and universalizing view of it (Sedgwick, Kosofsky. Axiomatic. 1990).”

Ursula Le Guin uses her book as a way to show the reader that a place could exist free of

set sexual "norms" and roles for each person; that social and political affairs can be separated

from personal lives, even to the basics of gender. The reader is instructed of this right from the

introduction. This is not a hidden meaning or theme. Le Guin wanted her readers to think of this

while reading her book. I believe she succeeds. The book deals with many issues that are as

much not about sex as they are about sex. This is a way for the author to make a statement, that

gender and sex are not always of main interest in a story such as this. Le Guin looks to drive

your mind to believe dualism and if it could be effective/ineffective. When imagining what a

world without male and female duality would be like, it comes to several interesting conclusions.

“There is no division of humanity into strong and weak halves, protective/protected,

dominant/submissive, owner/chattel, active/passive.” Because of this, the Gethenian culture is

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one that is not preoccupied with ideas of femininity and masculinity, and so certain things are not

taboo for them.

Throughout the book there are no children to be found, only heard of. The reader is told

that children are sent away when they are small but that does not mean that they have no

affiliation with their parents, even after they have reached adulthood. This kept crossing my

mind and I thought maybe it deals with the gender issue as well. Le Guin may have entirely

taken the children out of the story because it would have made it very difficult to assign parental

roles to the characters. If someone sired a child, they would have to act as the "father", but would

they change when they were around the children? Gender comes up throughout the entire story

of Left Hand of Darkness.

Moreover, because of their sexual cycles, the people of Gethan are then able to focus on

other, more important issues for most of the time - like politics and the goings on of their world.

And yet, gender and sex roles are a part of this. as well. After all, in the midst of the book, King

Argaven gets pregnant and it seems that even the people in the story find it odd to a point, while

Ai finds it funnier to a different degree. Because he cannot see a man becoming pregnant.

The others just think he is too old, which may be why the king loses the baby just after its birth.

Political affairs on Gethen seem very "masculine", cold and unforgiving and impersonal.

Then on a personal level the same characters seem feminine, warm and caring. Not that

‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ only carry those specific characteristics, these just happened to be

them in the book. When Ai, for example, comes to Orgoreyn and stays with Shusgis in his home.

Shusgis seems to me, more feminine in that he made Ai’s room very warm, literally thus

showing a nurturing side to him.

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In addition, some may say Ai’s mission to go the Gethan and get the two planets to join

forces for intelligence and go about his way, but through his journey with Estraven, they learn to

adapt to each other and become more comfortable with one another. Ai even contemplates even

heading back to his original home to stay in Karhide. It couldn’t be anything other than love even

more so that Ai was seen as the “Alien” and stuck out to everyone else, and not to mention being

unbearably cold. Seems like connection could only warm and trigger such decisions.

So, through both of these texts you see how sex, gender roles and stereotype come into

play just as a reader, and as you dig deeper and dive into each books telling. The play asks who

is using who, who really has power, and—most importantly—what does each partner desire in

each other, what do they need from each other; and what element of escape does each signify for

the other. You see how each show a strong love and connection for each of the main characters

without quite understanding who has the edge, who is interested in who and what will it lead to.

These ways show us of what we already conclude to think as opposed to understanding the other

side.
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Works Cited

Introduction to Comparative Queer Literary Studies. Stereotypes, Deception & Orientalism in M.

Butterfly. 2013

https://introqueerlit.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/stereotypes-deception-and-orientalism-in-m-
butterfly/

Ilka Saal. American Studies. Engendering Manhoo. Published by: Universitätsverlag WINTER
Gmbh. 1998.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41157422?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Tim Teeman. The Daily Beast. 2017.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/sex-sexuality-and-spying-the-subtle-genius-of-m-butterfly-on-
broadway

Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. “Axiomatic.” Introduction. Epistemology of the Closet. Berkeley:

University of California, 1990.

https://americanfuturesiup.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/understanding-gender-and-sexuality-in-le-

guins-the-left-hand-of-darkness/

M. Butterfly. Henry David Hwang. Publisher: Plume. 1988. Print

Left Hand of Darkness text. Ursula Le Guin. Publisher: Ace Books. 1969. Print
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