Character Study in Manual Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman On the surface, Manual Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman is about politics and oppression. Caged literally and figuratively in an existential cell, both Molina and Valentin are wards of a police state and are therefore powerless to change their circumstances. But the novel is really about how spiritual freedom is cultivated and made manifest by Molina's retelling of his favorite movies. Because the substance of the films is first filtered
Manuel Puig’s Kiss of the Spider Woman is the compelling story of two prisoners: Molina, an eccentric gender-ambiguous window dresser and Valentin, a well-educated and articulate revolutionary. In this post-modern novel, the two characters speak only in dialogue; there is no narration. The two spend their days in a jail cell talking about films and their own lives in attempt to escape from the hard realities of their lives. In doing so, they often bring up Gabriel, a married, heterosexual waiter
Spider Woman: What role does she play in Legend? Who is Spider Woman and how is she entwined so deeply in both Laguna and Kiowa legend? I find myself asking how two different peoples can be so closely connected through the myths and legends passed down over many generations. Spider Woman has played a strong role as protector and nurturer. She is held in high regard as a magical being of great empathy and knowledge who always looks out for both the good-spirits and children. Two different peoples
have and always will enjoy a good read. The success of classics such as William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, and The Merchant of Venice validate this. Modern authors are no exception to this ideology. In Manuel Puig’s 1976 hit, Kiss of the Spider Woman, the audience is introduced to two characters that inevitably fall into situations of adventure, romance, and deception. These elements are embedded in human kind’s tales all across the ages. The first of the two protagonists, Molina, is an easy-going
people learned to weave by the influence of the Hopi. Most Navajos do not agree with this assumption, but scientific evidence proves that these people did not have the will-power to weave. The Navajo believe what we call a legend of weaving. “ Spider Woman instru... ... middle of paper ... ...ate there beliefs and knowledge. Their persistence to keep a tradition alive was and is very strong. Being able to learn from the ancestors of the land, and some of their pride and joy that has become
systematic injustice denies us that right? What happens when the rules of the state impede on the lives of the individual? How does this trickle down and affect our innate desire for love? Manuel Puig explores that question in his novel, “Kiss of the Spider Woman”. An examination of the life and death of two parallel characters, Molina and Irena, reveals Puig’s assertion that in order to liberate ourselves from oppression that denies us this right to love, we must first find something worth loving, worth
Film Noir's Effect on Modern Cinema High heels click on wet pavement, shady detectives stand in the shadows, shots ring out through the cold, dark city night-just another moment in film noir. These seedy, almost underground films are considered to be some of the best and most influential pictures in the history of Hollywood by anyone's standards, most certainly some of the darkest. Even though the glory days of film noir have long passed and given way to big budget productions, their influence
the spider woman comes to town and takes focus away from the angel. “ A spectacle like that, full of much human truth and with such a fearful lesson, was bound to defeat without even trying that of a haughty angel who scarcely deigned to look at mortals (Garcia Marquez 443).” The spider woman’s ability to explain what had happened to her also hurts the angel, in that people believe that which can be explained over that which cannot be explained. Garcia Marquez shows the effect of the spider woman
emerged out of chaos; the Seneca tribe has a creation story in which the world came together through a clash of good and evil. The creation story that is found in many tribes is that of ?Inktomi?, also known as ? spider woman? whom they believe created earth and life. They believe that spider woman spun a line to form the east, west, north, and south, from which came the Four Corners of the earth. Those who had forgotten the gift of her thread would drown in the great flood she sent, but for those who
Kiss of the Spider Woman, written by Manuel Puig, is considered a novel that can be interpreted differently by two different readers, in this case, a homosexual and a heterosexual. Although these to type of readers may be from the same sex, their way of thinking and interpreting this literary work may be very different as Puig writes about two men who are cell-mates, Luis Alberto Molino, a gay window dresser condemned for corruption of a minor or sexually abusing an underage, and Valentin Arregui
No Fixed Address In Aritha Van Herk’s “No Fixed Address”, one key symbol surfaces many times. The main character’s name is Arachne, which means spider, and sets the reader up to understand the central symbol in the novel—the spider web. The reader sees several other instances of webs showing up throughout the novel. Arachne’s dependence on the road and her random driving is another form of web in “No Fixed Address”. To tie in Arachne’s driving with webs, we see Thomas’s maps as webs of sorts. The
retracted my right hand. However, my want for adventure to explore the tree island overcame the small bit of pain I felt. An adrenaline rush helped me overcome all of the annoyances pushing through the dense brim of the island, like palmetto leaves and spider webs, as well as the myriad of other obstacles upon finally penetrating. First there was the ground that wasn’t as firm as I thought it was; my right sneaker falling victim to the deceptive scattered branches that littered the floor, probably only
the girl who was turned into a spider because she disobeyed her parents. The angel is the element in Magical Realism that discovers the mysterious parts in life. Most people believe in supernatural beings like angels. Angels are usually thought of as protecting and taking one to the afterlife. The angel was believed to have come to take the baby to heaven. Another magical element was the sicknesses of the people who came to be healed by the angel. There was "a poor woman who since birth had been counting
destroy Othello. Rather than merely stating his desire to do this, Iago uses imagery based around a spider’s web. By doing so, ideas of creation, self utilization, and entrapment are brought into the plot concerning Othello. Iago likens himself to a spider, who spins a web from his own mind which will trap people, and cause them to serve his own needs. This passage shows the extent to which Iago foresees his own designs. Iago does not take an active role ... ... middle of paper ... ...y, and painful
The Monkey Garden The Monkey Garden by Sandra Cisneros tells the story of a young girl’s loss of childhood innocence. The story is narrated by a mature woman remembering her initiation into adolescence through the images and events that occurred in an unused neighborhood lot. She is not ready to mature into adolescence and uses her imagination to transform the lot into a fantasy garden--a place where she can hide from the adult world. The garden is the vehicle in which the narrator reveals her
her dread of me!" (Hardy 183). Another night, Sue avoided Phillotson by sleeping in a closet. Upon examination of this temporary "nest," Phillotson bitterly remarks to himself, "What must a woman's aversion be when it is stronger than her fear of spiders" (Hardy 176). Although I don't appreciate the stereotype, the statement does its part and makes it quite obvious that she finds her husband repulsive. With this, his last novel, Hardy is moving away from the convention of the "inner life of the
he is saved by Eowyn, a woman of Rohan who loves him, and Merry, who slays the Witch-king in single combat by using ancient hobbit-magic and so reveals himself to be the lost Thain of the Shire. Even as the forces of Mordor retreat, they are swept into the Sea by great ships brought by Faramir, the true Prince of Dol Amroth, from the hidden city of Osgiliath further up the Great River. Meanwhile Sam chases the tarantula back to the lair of Ungoliant, the Queen of Spiders, and after a tense argument
been a debate on is The Spider Bite legend. This Legend has been told dating all the way back to the 1970’s and has had many variations of the story ever since. There has been extensive research throughout the years as to whether or not this legend is actually possible and although evidence has showed that this legend is most likely just a myth there have been stories in the news that have questioned the validity
Borges and Bertolucci There are a number of differences between Bernardo Bertolucci's movie "The Spider Stratagem" and the story on which it is based, Jorge Louis Borges' "The Theme of The Traitor and The Hero;" however, overall Bertolucci does a pretty accurate portrayal of the essence, at least, of Borges' story. Besides changing the "setting" of the plot, there is also much more information relayed in the movie. This is very much due to that the story is simply a suggestive piece, while the
Scary Story I looked up at the black sky. I hadn't intended to be out this late. The sun had set, and the empty road ahead had no streetlights. I knew I was in for a dark journey home. I had decided that by traveling through the forest would be the quickest way home. Minutes passed, yet it seemed like hours and days. The farther I traveled into the forest, the darker it seemed to get. I was very had to even take a breath due to the stifling air. The only sound familiar to me was the quickening