M. Butterfly Chapter Summary & Analysis - Act 1, Scenes 10 and 11 Summary

Act 1, Scenes 10 and 11 Summary

These two scenes develop the relationship between Gallimard and Song, defining the games they both play i.e., Song's portrayal of herself as the shy, flirtatious Oriental girl Gallimard believes her to be, and Gallimard's attempt to make himself into the Pinkerton-esque ideal of masculinity he believes he must fulfill.

Scene 10 - Gallimard tells how he goes repeatedly to the opera, spends time with Song after her performances, and increasingly comes to believe that her outspokenness is a cover-up for her natural Oriental shyness and fear. When he visits her apartment, she greets him dressed as an Oriental star of American movies, and behaves with silly, shy flirtatiousness, asking him to leave when he becomes too aggressive. Gallimard responds with what he believes to be appropriate tenderness, saying he likes the way she is behaving. Song insists that Gallimard go, and as he leaves he comments to the audience that...
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