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Song Liling
A friend from Gallimard’s youth. Marc is unapologetically lascivious and encourages Gallimard to take sexual advantage of the women around him without regard for their feelings or even their consent. Marc represents unfettered masculine sexuality in Gallimard’s mind, and Gallimard thinks of him whenever he struggles with questions of sexual ethics and desire. Marc plays Sharpless, a sensitive American diplomat, in the reenactment of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.
Marc Quotes in M. Butterfly
The M. Butterfly quotes below are all either spoken by Marc or refer to Marc. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, Scene 9
Quotes
It’s an old story. It’s in our blood. They fear us, Rene. Their women fear us. And their men — their men hate us. And you know something? They are all correct.
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Act 2, Scene 11
Quotes
This is the ultimate cruelty, isn’t it? That I can talk and talk and to anyone listening, it’s only air — too rich a diet to be swallowed by a mundane world. Why can’t anyone understand? That in China, I once loved, and was loved by, the Perfect Woman.
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Get the entire M. Butterfly LitChart as a printable PDF.
Marc Quotes in M. Butterfly
The M. Butterfly quotes below are all either spoken by Marc or refer to Marc. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, Scene 9
Quotes
It’s an old story. It’s in our blood. They fear us, Rene. Their women fear us. And their men — their men hate us. And you know something? They are all correct.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2, Scene 11
Quotes
This is the ultimate cruelty, isn’t it? That I can talk and talk and to anyone listening, it’s only air — too rich a diet to be swallowed by a mundane world. Why can’t anyone understand? That in China, I once loved, and was loved by, the Perfect Woman.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
