Kiss of the Spider Woman

Manuel Puig

52 pages 1-hour read

Manuel Puig

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1976

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Molina is a 37-year-old window dresser serving an eight-year sentence in a Buenos Aires prison for "corrupting minors." She identifies closely with femininity, referring to herself with she/her pronouns, and finds comfort in romantic fantasies and the glamour of cinema. Highly sociable and expressive, Molina copes with the harsh reality of her incarceration by telling embellished movie plots to pass the time.

Key Relationships

Cellmate of Valentin

Harbors affection for Gabriel

Devoted child of Molina's Mother

Prisoner of The Warden

Valentin is a 26-year-old Marxist revolutionary detained as a political prisoner in 1972. He maintains a strict, ascetic lifestyle in prison, preferring to study philosophy and political theory rather than engage in escapism. He approaches life with an analytical and materialist mindset, often dismissing emotional or romantic concerns as distractions from the larger revolutionary cause.

Key Relationships

Cellmate of Molina

Ex-boyfriend of Marta

Prisoner of The Warden

The Warden is the authoritative head of the Buenos Aires prison housing Molina and Valentin. He operates within a corrupt and repressive political system, utilizing his power to control the environment and conditions of the inmates. He is focused on extracting confessions and intelligence from political prisoners by any means necessary.

Key Relationships

Captor of Molina

Captor of Valentin

Supporting Characters

Marta is Valentin's ex-girlfriend who initially joined the Marxist revolutionary cause alongside him. She comes from a middle-class, bourgeois background, which Valentin struggles to reconcile with his political ideology. Unlike Valentin, Marta eventually prioritized her personal life and desire for happiness over the political struggle, leading to their separation.

Key Relationships

Former partner of Valentin

Gabriel is a straight, married waiter and former professional soccer player. He quit his factory job in protest of worker exploitation before taking up his current profession. He serves as the primary object of Molina's romantic fantasies, representing an idealized vision of traditional masculinity and stability.

Key Relationships

Object of affection for Molina

Molina's Mother is an older woman facing declining health who maintains a strong, affectionate bond with her child. She attended Molina's trial and offered reassurance despite her own devastation over the eight-year sentence. She serves as Molina's primary motivation for enduring the harsh conditions of prison life.

Key Relationships

Mother of Molina