Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living… in a Latin American prison. He was arrested for having sex with an under-aged boy. It’s his hope that he’ll be able to leverage some kind of parole or pardon. Right now, though, he’s sharing a cell with Valentin Arregui, who is in many ways his polar opposite.
Profession… window-dresser. But in prison, he has become a spy for the Brazilian secret police. The police want Luis to befriend his cellmate, who was a member of a leftist revolutionary group, so they can discover the location of the rest of the revolutionaries. If Luis does this, they’ll let him go.
Interests… cinema. To his mind off of the realities of prison, Luis recounts the plots of various films that he’s seen. One of them is a Nazi propaganda film that Luis loves regardless of its political affiliations. And another film he can’t get out of his mind stars a sensual spider woman. Valentin is trying to get Luis to spend less time on his fantasy life and deal with the realities of the political world.
Relationship Status… single. Luis is attracted to men, and unfortunately being homosexual can land you in jail. He was infatuated with a particular waiter, but now that he’s in prison, there’s little chance that will go anywhere.
Challenge… getting out of prison. But is he willing to sacrifice his cellmate (and new friend) to do so?
Personality… emotional and lonely. Luis is understandably miserable, and is easily offended or moved to tears. He has turned to movies and other pretty things to escape the realities of the world.
Get to Know him in...
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Luis Molina and Valentin Arregui are cell mates in a South American prison. Luis, a homosexual, is found guilty of immoral behaviour and Valentin is a political prisoner. To escape reality Luis invents romantic movies, while Valentin tries to keep his mind on the situation he's in. During the time they spend together, the two men come to understand and respect one another.
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Kiss of the Spider Woman is a graceful, intensely compelling novel about love and victimization. In an Argentine prison, two men share a cell: Molina, a gay window dresser who is self-centered, self-denigrating, yet charming as well; and Valentin, an articulate, fiercely dogmatic revolutionary haunted by memories of a woman he left for the cause. Both are gradually transformed by their guarded but growing friendship and by Molina’s obsession with the fantasy and romance of the movies.
