52 pages • 1-hour read
Manuel PuigA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mother of Molina