Significance of 'Mr Butterfly'?

[deleted]

Doesn't he also have a butterfly tattoo on his back? I thought he did...reminded me of Papillon -- not that's its too hard to get pulled out of the movie to think of other things.



I am a leaf on the wind - watch how I soar.

Butterflies signify transformation.

Jack/Edward has a very angular tattoo of a butterfly on this back. Why wouldn't Clara know about that? I say, she would know about every mark on his body.

I think the butterfly was supposed to represent his soul. It is the last thing we see, flying every higher against the dark bark of a tree, shortly after Jack/Edward dies in his car as Clara runs to him.

I also read Ebert's review talking about the significance of the wrong person calling him Mr. Butterfly. When Clara called him that I thought it was because of the tattoo on his back that she was looking at when he had his back to her. When Mathilde called him Mr Butterfly I thought it was because of the conversation they had about the endangered white butterfly that landed on her arm so it didn't mean much to me at the time. I think Ebert was saying that it indicated that both women were part of the plot to kill him because that is how they referred to him.

My guess is that it lies in how they came about the use of the same nickname. We are obviously supposed to perhaps suspect a conspiracy, since both women use the same name and the film tries to make us suspicious of Clare just as Jack is suspicious of her, but ...

Clara sees his back tattoo. How many people do you think a careful man like Jack allows to see this? It is also significant, I think, because it is on his back. This means he had his back to Clara, a position that may be vulnerable but may also imply trust.

Mathilde calls him Mister Butterfly after he identifies a beautiful, endangered insect. This seems symbolic of him and perhaps how she even thinks of him (or will think of him). She admires his work, she is obviously coming on to him at the sight of the picnic, and then she takes him as a target for assassination.

White butterfly represents transformation. It is seen in the forest setting on three separate occasions. The film's last shot, and Jack's death scene, shows the butterfly escaping up from Jack's car, or from life to death.

The film's settings move from snow laden winter scene to chilly Italian back drop to the blossoming life of the forest setting found in the film's final shot: Death to life:

White Butterfly: Transformation: Death as rebirth.

This is an existential thriller.

Here are some other examples of symbolism found in the movie:





The tunnel during the opening credit sequence: Moving towards the light, coming out of darkness: Life to death.

The towns maze of walkways: Dangers lurk here, along with lovers, priests, friendlies, other sinners: Life as a maze.

Jack's skill: he crafts weapons. It is the thing he does despite his life. It is simultaneously connected to his life and apart from it: Jack's expertise mimics the artist's craft.

Jack as a hunter: Jack is a wolf amongst sheep, a killer allowed to roam. The female assassin is a killer too. They recognize each other. They are attracted to each other in the same way two powerful people circle and size each other up like large cats preparing for battle. In contrast, the prostitute and the priest is not Jack's equals. They lack skill. They are the sheep, or innocents. But Jack needs them in the same way a powerful person needs and controls others. He needs their inner life to live. In this way he is a man divided. He seeks peace and solitude but needs others.

Jack's solitude: because we all are essentially alone.