Kiss of the Spider Woman

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.