M. Butterfly

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content, antigay bias, racism, gender discrimination, emotional abuse, bullying, and addiction.

In 1963, Gallimard is attending a party at the Austrian embassy when he meets a woman named Renee. He pontificates about his opinions on foreign policy, though she isn’t really interested in what he has to say. She’s a visiting student specializing in Chinese language studies. Gallimard compliments her on her progressive thinking, which clashes with the opinions of her father. Renee expresses her boredom with the lack of nightlife activities in Beijing. She asks Gallimard if he wants to engage in sexual activities together. Gallimard accepts because Renee reminds him of the magazine girls. In addition, unlike Song, she isn’t afraid to get naked.

Eventually, Renee’s lack of inhibition starts to bother Gallimard. He’s especially dismayed after Renee refers to his penis as a “weenie” and then talks about how different men react to the various euphemisms for “penis.” He continues the affair for several months simply because he knows that Song won’t confront him, even if she knew about the affair. Instead, Song weeps, signifying her passionate feelings for him.

Toulon visits Gallimard’s house late one night to inform him that the US plans to enable a coup against the president they installed in Vietnam, Ngô Đình Diệm.