Madame Butterfly Lesson Plan

What is significant about the terms of Pinkerton's contract for his house? What does he say this indicates about Japanese law? What does it indicate about his intentions?

Pinkerton has bought his new house for 999 years but he can cancel the contract any month he desires. He makes a joke that, much like their construction, the "contracts are elastic" and Sharpless adds that "an expert can profit from it." These comments show that Pinkerton and Sharpless look down upon Japan and see it almost solely as an opportunity for personal gain - they are willing to take advantage of any flexibility in the service of profit. Pinkerton's intentions, we learn, are to cancel the...