Kiss of The Spider Woman

Manuel Puig's novel Kiss of the Spider woman uses the vehicle of fantasy to weave the complex story between two cell mates in an Argentinean jail cell. Paper Masters can custom write an exposition of Kiss of the Spider Woman for any college literature course. You may need assistance since the novel is complex due to the following:

1. Because fantasy's role is so pervasive in the novel, it is often difficult to tell fantasy from reality.
2. In addition, the emotions and motivations of the two characters are complex and the mental states of both are questionable.

Molina was imprisoned for corruption of minor boys and Valentin is imprisoned because he is a Marxist revolutionary student in Argentina. Within the confines of a jail cell, Molina was supposed to find out sensitive revolutionary information from Valentin in order to gain his freedom from jail; he wanted to take care of his mother more than anything else and he worried she would die while he was in prison.

Plot of Kiss of the Spider Women

Each night, Molina related part or the whole of a film he had seen prior to being put in jail. It is not always clear that these films are real films, as they could be in part or whole figments of his imagination. Nevertheless, retelling the films' plots each night was a way for both Molina and Valentin to forget they were in a jail cell. "Look, I'm tired," said Molina to Valentin, "and it makes me angry the way you brought all this up, because until you brought it up I was feeling fabulous, I'd forgotten all about this filthy cell, and all the rest, just telling you about the film".

Retelling of the Story

Molina's detailed retelling of his favorite films may also have been a way for him to experience, through fantasy, the luxuries he missed once he was in jail. He provided rich details of movie scenes, describing antique furniture, billowing sheer curtains, and lace doilies to name a few. His eye for detail is extraordinary and indicates that he has a sensitive and artistic eye. For example, on page 55 his sensory details help make the film real: "Her hand fumbles, her glass falls to the floor, Baccarat splintering into a thousand pieces." By using the present tense as he fantasizes, his fantasies and films encourage the listener to actively participate in the visual unfolding of the stories.