Discussion Topic
Significance of the Spider Woman in "Kiss of the Spider Woman"
Summary:
In Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman, the "spider woman" is a metaphor for betrayal, embodied by the character Molina. Molina, a homosexual prisoner, forms an unlikely bond with his cellmate Valentin, a political revolutionary. Molina, secretly spying on Valentin for the authorities, entices him into a relationship, symbolizing the web of deceit. The title reflects these themes, emphasizing the complexities and dark undercurrents of human relationships and the transformative journey of the characters.
Who is the spider woman in "Kiss of the Spider Woman"?
Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman is, on the surface, the story of an unlikely friendship that develops between the two protagonists: Molina, a homosexual imprisoned, officially, for the crime of corrupting a minor, and Valentin, a communist revolutionary opposed to the repressive military regimes that rule Argentina. The two share a prison cell and initially have nothing in common. The circumstances of their situation, however, force them to enter into a dialogue that includes protracted recitations by Molina—who is a film-buff loosely modeled on the story's author—of the plots of movies he has seen. It is a way of killing time while they both hope to retain a measure of sanity. Molina’s descriptions of the films and Valentin’s questions and comments enable the two prisoners to engage their imaginations by debating the details and idiosyncrasies of the characters.
In Puig’s novel, the spider serves as...
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ametaphor for betrayal. Molina and Valentin’s dialogues during the former’s recitations of film plots invariably focus on women. Molina, it is revealed in the novel, has been deliberately placed in Valentin’s cell by prison officials for the purpose of spying on the political prisoner/revolutionary. Late in the novel, the two prisoners consummate their relationship, at Molina’s urging, despite Valentin’s heterosexual inclinations and strong interest in women. The betrayer, Molina, has been informing on his friend and, now, lover. As Molina prepares to leave prison, he asks Valentin to share a kiss before he leaves, prompting Valentin to say to him "You, you’re the spider woman, that traps men in her web." Female spiders, particularly the black widow, are known for killing their male mates following procreative intercourse. The spider, then, is a metaphor for Molina’s potentially deadly betrayal of the "male" in their relationship. The irony in the novel’s conclusion, therefore, resides in Molina’s murder by Valentin's comrades.
The "spider woman" in Kiss of the Spider Woman refers to the character of Molina's enticement of Valentin into a sexual relationship, knowing that he has been spying on his friend for a regime that represses homosexuals. The complexity and darkness inherent in relationships is a theme that underscores much of Puig’s novel, with Molina’s description of the film Cat People providing a context for the two character’s discussions. Deceit and betrayal are the common characteristics at the heart of many of these discussions, and the metaphor of the female spider is the story’s most potent symbolism.
Why is the title "Kiss of the Spider Woman"?
I would argue that the one of the primary reasons for the title is that it refers to the web in which the main character, Valentin, is drawn. Valetin shares a cell with the homosexual/transvestite Molina. Though he tries to resist his/her "poison," eventually Valentin succumbs to her/her charms.
Though he "mocks and insults" Molina for "his sexual orientation, and even physically abuses him for his resistance to traditional masculine behavior, Valentin, however, eventually grows to love Molina, as a friend and then as a lover. Valentin's softening from an aggressively masculine man to the point of loving another man forces him to question and then reevaluate his attitude toward homosexuality."
For more on themes, characters, and other information about this work, please visit the eNotes link below.