Gallimard: Do we like him or hate him?

Like Chrissie, I too am interested in the demeaning and purely lustful way that Gallimard views women—especially those of the eastern world. It puts the reader in an awkward position, because it is difficult to decide whether his character deserves sympathy, or as Meryn states, conclude to the fact that he is “a real ass”.

In scene 5 of act one, Gallimard admits “the sad truth is that all men want a beautiful woman, and the uglier the man, the greater the want” (14). This statement alone reveals Gallimard’s belief that the worth of a woman lies in her appearance. He easily dismisses his older, less desirable wife, Helga, as a banishment of passion (14). There is never any mention of her pleasing traits of personality or persona. In fact, it seems that Gallimard’s sole desire in life is to possess a beautiful woman who would die in want of his love, even if he himself did not return the feelings in any way. This is precisely what occurs in Madame Butterfly, and therefore, what causes Gallimard to identify with Pinkerton. However, Suzuki, Butterfly’s faithful servant, puts Pinkerton’s character to shame by stating the obvious, “Girl, he’s a loser” (12). Yet Butterfly refuses to believe Suzuki’s rationale. This is why Gallimard is so fascinated. He cannot imagine a woman—much less a beautiful woman—to remain so faithful to an unattractive, undesirable jerk even to the point of suicide. Gallimard refers to it as a “beautiful story” (17), but in reality, it is a story of horrible injustice.

In one sense, the reader is left feeling sorry for Gallimard, because he has never had the confidence, personality, or natural good looks that a woman might find attractive in a man—so he is left feeling insecure and unwanted. However, as a result, his twisted view of women is enough to flip the reader’s emotions and instead, turn to dislike entirely—especially after his mistreatment of Song. I hope to discover more clearly as the play continues, what exactly David Henry Hwang’s intentions are in regards to the audience’s opinion of his main character, Gallimard.