52 pages 1 hour read

Manuel Puig

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1976

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 3-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 3 Summary

Molina relates a new movie plot, which Valentin calls “a piece of Nazi junk” (56) but Molina believes is “a work of art” (55). Valentin claims to only be interested in it as a piece of propaganda. 

In the movie, Leni, a singer in France during World War II, falls for a German officer, even though she is devoted to France and has seen the fatal outcome of a chorus girl’s relationship with a different German officer.

Interrupting her own explanation, Molina admits that he misses Gabriel, a waiter who is straight and married. As she explains how in love she is, Molina admits to Valentin, “[W]hen it comes to him, I can’t talk about myself like a man, because I don’t feel like one” (60). She wants to take care of Gabriel, finance his education, and give him a better life. She explains that Gabriel was a professional soccer player when he was young, but he quit when he married, as his wife insisted he give it up. He then began working at a factory but ultimately quit in protest of the exploitation of the laborers; this was how he became a waiter.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
SuperSummary logo image
Unlock all

52 pages

of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to

7,300+

expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+

Mobile App

+

Printable PDF

+

Literary AI Tools