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Sexism:
A Thematic Approach to David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly
Sexism, according to Webster's Dictionary, is the "discrimination against people, especially women, on the basis of sex" (588). Hwang uses a sexist approach in portraying the story of M. Butterfly. He accurately displays the thoughts of men towards women throughout the early and mid twentieth century in China. Sexism, a central theme of M. Butterfly, is prevalent from the beginning to the end of the play.
The first sign of sexism is noted on page 1678 of The Bedford Introduction to Literature Reading ∙ Thinking ∙ Writing edited by Michael Meyer in the retelling of Madame Butterfly by Giacoma Puccini. "Pinkerton purchased the rights to Butterfly for one hundred yen- in modern currency, equivalent to about… sixty-six cents" (Meyer, 1678). The idea of purchasing a wife is indicative of the absence of importance placed on women in the early 1900's.
In another scene, the time is 1947. Marc is discussing......

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Approximate Word Count: 850
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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