As we have started to discover the themes of M. Butterfly, power, and the contrasting difference between the east and west. In this seen Gallimard is describing his first experience feeling power as a man. Although he feels this power over Song, the Chinese opera singer he is starting an affair with, he is also abusing her; shown when he describes his actions as wicked. He also refers to Song as a flower, portraying her as a delicate, breakable thing. This role he has given her not only makes her inferior to him, but also categorizes her into the “oriental girl,” or eastern native girl. By demonstrating his power as a strength and comparing it to the delicacy of Song as a flower, the theme of East vs. West is also brought up. The “absolute power of a man,” representing himself and the west creates a huge contrast to the “little flower,” representing Song and the East. This huge contrast illustrates the divide shown throughout the book of the Eastern and Western lifestyles.
-Christine
