Manuel Puig’s first portrayal of Mr. Ramirez is an innocent and dependent adult man who lacks the common understanding of many concepts such as feelings. One of his first questions to Larry, whom he relies on is, “But what do you feel when you say it?” As he has lost all of his past memories, he is incapable of understanding, without the help of another. His nonexistent ability to grasp the concept of feelings parallels his absent family. He begins his fantasy by merely asking Larry, “If you don’t mind, tell me how you felt when you loved your father.” His proper manner of asking Larry reflects the power Larry has over him since he is depends on him to take him anywhere. Similarly, Manuel Puig establishes the setting of his …show more content…
Ramirez and Larry. Valentin represents masculinity and is less emotional and more analytical than Molina. However, Molina who represents femininity and identifies himself as a woman is more sensitive and pays more attention to detail than Valentin. As Molina describes the main female character of his story he says, “The shape of her face, it’s...more roundish than oval, broad forehead, pronounced cheeks too but then they come down to a point, like with cats.” He uses a simile in order to compare her to a “cat” and illustrate the features of her face, while the increasing sentence structure reflects his increasing longing to be more like a woman. There is a distinct separation of characters between Molina and Valentin as he says, “I picture her dark-looking, not too tall, really nice figure, and she moves like a cat. A real piece.” By Valentin comparing the main character to a “cat” as well, but comparing her agility and focusing on her figure highlights his masculinity, and emphasizes the differences Molina and him have. In the article, “Manuel Puig at the Movies” it states, “Molina’s accounts reveal his own desires, wishes, fantasies, and consolations.” This statement is true, as Molina clearly wishes to be more feminine, and wishes that his physical aspects, such as his face, be more feminine like. Although Larry and Mr. Ramirez do not share a prison cell, as Molina and