too, he wants to be first. He manipulates people in his search for power and prestige, which to him are the signs of success in this larger world. What is in doubt is how his search will be resolved: whether he will prefer males or females, and whether he will be abusive and exploitative in his use of the power that probably will be his.

Mita

Mita (MEE-tah), Toto’s mother. A college graduate, she marries Berto, a man with less education who reminds her of an Argentine film star with whom she once danced. She works first in the hospital and then in the pharmacy. When the family is financially secure, Berto forces her to resign and devote herself to family. She consents and has a second child, who dies still unnamed. A third child, rarely mentioned, also is born. She rears her husband’s nephew Héctor, dresses down, uses little makeup, gains weight, and accepts the matronly role assigned by her husband. She fantasizes and escapes her small-town existence through novels, films, and her son Toto.

Berto

Berto (BEHR-toh), Toto’s father, a proud Spaniard who struggles through a difficult childhood in Spain that brings the early death of his mother and the tyranny of his brother. When he is pulled out of school to work in his brother’s factory, he is deprived of an education. When his brother sells the factory, he is forced to immigrate to Argentina. There, haunted by his earlier misfortunes, he steels himself in the ways necessary to become successful. He marries above himself yet refuses to accept help from his wife’s family in La Plata. He keeps his family in Vallejos and, through great effort and sacrifice, gradually becomes a successful businessman. He makes sure his family has more than enough. He even takes his brother’s son, Héctor, and rears him, although not with the attention he lavishes on Toto. He avoids the womanizing and roguish tendencies of his brother. He opts for business and familial rectitude as the appropriate strategy for success.

Héctor

Héctor (EHK-tohr), Toto’s cousin. He lives with Toto’s family until he is twelve years old, then is sent away to a boarding school near Buenos Aires. Except for a vocational school, Vallejos has nothing beyond the sixth grade, and Héctor’s Aunt Mita is afraid he will be nothing more than a mechanic if he does not go away to school. Héctor returns to Vallejos during school breaks and summer vacation. He is moved by the thrill of girls and soccer. the handsome boy seduces three bookish but good-looking women—the young schoolteacher Mari, Pug-nose, and Corky—in one summer. His dreams of the future are to leave the boarding school and return to Vallejos to play in local soccer matches, become a sports star, and seduce women. Many of the older female students interact with Toto because they are attracted to his cousin Héctor.

Paquita

Paquita (pah-KEE-tah), a lower-class schoolmate of Toto in Vallejos who is three years older. Her father is an impoverished Spanish immigrant from Galicia who is a tailor. She dreams of her sexual encounters with Raúl Garcia but is tormented by guilt and her fear of mortal sin. At the end of the novel, her wedding is being planned.

Esther

Esther (ehs-TEHR), a student from a humble Buenos Aires suburb. She wins a scholarship to George Washington High School, where she becomes a classmate of Toto. She is enamored of Héctor and eagerly awaits an encounter arranged by Toto. Toto has designs on her, however, and has used Héctor as bait. When she protests his change of plans and tries to maneuver him out of the picture, Toto snubs her by referring to her lower-class origins. She sees that she is not accepted socially and begins to see the logic of the class consciousness and worker solidarity of the people from her own background, who are committed to the Peronista labor movement.

Cobito

Cobito (koh-BEE-toh), a schoolmate of Toto. He is vulgar, crude, and mean. He resents school, study, and the prospects of returning to his hometown of Paraná and working behind the counter of the family store run by his brother. Envious of the intelligence, wealth, and success of Toto, he twice tries to sodomize him.

In a candid interview, Puig delved into the motivations behind his novel, Betrayed by Rita Hayworth. At thirty, stranded in Rome, bereft of a career and finances, Puig grappled with the realization that his cherished passion for cinema was nothing but a misguided obsession, a mere neurosis. The act of writing became his tool to dissect this personal downfall. Yet, Puig transcended his individual trials, weaving them into a broader tapestry that explores the universal theme of reality's betrayal by illusion. Through its characters, the novel unveils diverse interpretations of this deception.

The World of Illusion and Reality

Toto, the central figure, is a boy bursting with imagination, much to the dismay of his father, who considers him effeminate. His joy is bound to the cinema, shared deeply with his mother, Mita. Together, they escape into film discussions and artistic recreations, losing themselves in a fantasy realm. Meanwhile, the father, a shadow in their lives, broods over the household's monetary woes, often found brooding in the next room. His presence, or lack thereof, looms as a stark contrast to their dreamy escapades.

Though Toto and Mita evoke empathy with their sensitivity, their connection to the tangible world seems tenuous at best. The father, reminiscent of a screen idol, is entangled in mundane concerns like bills. Toto's daydreams, influenced by silver screen narratives, blur the lines between his lived reality and cinematic fantasies. His thoughts dance seamlessly between the two realms, painting his world with scenes from movies.

Contrasts and Illusions

While Toto yearns for romance with a girl of enchanting locks, his cousin Hector embodies a different reality. Hector, a quintessential "macho" figure, satisfies his desires with unceremonious ease in hidden corners, adeptly manipulating others' romantic fantasies for his own gain. "All I did was sing to her a little and presto! a little bullshit and she fell for it like a ton of bricks," reflects the cunning simplicity of his approach. Initially, it may appear that Puig juxtaposes naive dreamers with pragmatic schemers, yet he reveals that even these seemingly grounded characters are not immune to cultural caricatures. They fashion themselves after gangster roles or sports icons, their bravado and pursuits rooted in popular folklore.

Cultural Influences on Identity

The influence of culture extends beyond mass entertainment. Herminia, the spinster music teacher, is ensnared by high culture's grip. Her self-perception aligns with the "wyllis" concept — virgin women who linger in suffering beyond death. Similarly, Pug-nose, a girl entranced by the oblivious, soccer-enthused Hector, envisions herself an intellectual, dreaming he might embrace Dostoevsky's depth.

Politics, too, emerges as a narrative no less fantastical than the stage. Ideologies like Marxism and Peronism captivate the public, wrapped in layers of romantic idealism. Esther, astute yet impoverished, embodies this allure. Her academic prowess grants her access to elite schooling, a gift she attributes to Peron's reforms. Her diary overflows with gratitude: "Peron! During the one year you've been our president there's no room for all the things you've done for us in the pages of every day of every month of this year of newspapers . . . and nevertheless in your heart there's room: toys for your children! all the needy children of the Argentine republic, and laws for the workers, not to be humiliated any longer, and welfare for those burdened with years and with want."

The Shaping of Selves

As the novel unfolds, each character becomes a testament to the way cultural forces sculpt, and sometimes warp, personal identity. Hector observes of Pug-nose, "If her old man went so cuckoo from reading Schopenauer and all that shit about the Superman, she'll have it even worse because she's polishing off the whole Public Library." Through monologues, the characters' influences and their effects are laid bare. Yet, an intriguing isolation persists; each monologue remains a solitary echo, revealing a fragmented landscape where personal worlds rarely converge. In this tapestry of illusions, a shared reality is elusive, if not entirely absent.