Maria: Kiss of the Spiderwoman

In the movie Kiss of The Spiderwoman, Puig puts an emphasis on the power of love versus the power of social norms and government laws imposed on society. He uses the “Spiderwoman” as a symbol; being something that one gets caught up in. I believe that government and society are represented by the Spiderwoman while Puig is represented through the character, Molina and his emotions. Being a homosexual, Molina (and Puig) knows the feeling of being exiled and ridiculed, but to him, those things do not matter nearly as much as one’s inner happiness. To him, the emotions that drive love and sexuality, regardless of whether others see them as being ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ are stronger than any other force. Both in Molina’s story and in the story he tells we see love conquering all other things. For example, the woman in his story falls in love with a soldier; something that is not accepted in her world. But, she explains that one cannot help who one falls in love with and says, “love doesn’t’ have a country.” Similarly, Molina shows that he is willing to die for Valentine, the man he loves, because without being able to love there is nothing worth living for. Puig shows that the government can impose as much power as they want through different actions, such as putting people in jail over and over again, but the power of one’s emotions will still prevail. In this movie, I see Valentine as a representation of the typical stereotype of a man in society during the time and place that this film takes place, while Molina represents something different. Puig shows how we need to embrace the differences found within one another rather than judge them; only then will we be headed toward a more peaceful world.