Kiss of the Spider Woman – Novel

Femininity is discussed heavily in the book through the two men’s take on gender. Valentin is hostile against women and by an extension, a distrust of femininity. Valentin represents the more traditionally stereotypical masculine element of the two as he discredit anything that is feminine. The way that Valentine exerts his masculinity is through his revolution, in that he tries to sacrifice his emotions (which are seen as feminine) and devote his energy to his cost. However when he gets sick, these expectations crumble as he becomes emotional and begins to tell Molina personal information he was purposely being secretive about, thus representing that upholding hyper masculinity is impossible.
He also criticizes women for the characteristics he dislikes in others and himself. He criticizes his mother because “she believes she’s entitled to everything she owns, her family has always had money, and a certain social position” (121). He is angry with his mother for these characteristics but it is also true that he came from this background thus he comes from the wealth and class that he criticizes. Instead Valentine’s masculinity prevents him from being honest with himself and it is not until he becomes dependent on Molina that he begins to be open with his issues with his mother and admit that he cares more for Marta, who comes from a bourgeois background, than his girlfriend in the revolution.

Molina is the opposite of Valentine and represents a more feminine force. Unlike Valentine, Molina is more sensitive and cares little for politics as represented for is interest in the romantic storyline of the nazi propaganda film. Molina also identifies with female figures. After Molina finishes telling the story of the Nazi Propaganda film, he says “the film was divine, and for me that’s what counts” and “I’ll go nuts, like Charlotte of Mexico. Though I’d rather be Christina of Sweden, since I’ll end up a queen, no matter what” (78). To Molina the romantic storyline is the most important aspect while the political can be ignored, thus he values emotions and the sensual over the revolutionary which is something Valentine spends much of the novel resisting.