The Western Man and the Oriental Woman in “M. Butterfly” by David Henry Hwang

Excerpts from the Paper

The Western Man and the Oriental Woman in "M. Butterfly" by David Henry Hwang
Edward Said discussing the Oriental states, “Women are usually the creatures of male-power fantasy. They express unlimited sexuality, they are more or less stupid, and they are willing” (p. 207). In the play, M. Butterfly, by David Henry Hwang, the author creates the Western man as having power while Oriental women are weak and sexual beings. Understanding the Western man and the Oriental woman will show that the Western man was powerful but he fell under the hands of an Oriental man who pretended to be a woman.
The beginning point for understanding the play is studying how Hwang portrays the Western man as being powerful with the Oriental woman as weak. The...

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