I have a hard time buying into the idea that the story is from Molina's perspective and, therefore, we can't trust it. You could argue that it is entirely from his POV, but it doesn't follow that he's so biased as to give us no
real idea of Valentin's objective actions. I don't think we have any evidence that his interactions with Valentin are a part of his fantasy life and presented to us with the same filter of wish-fulfillment as his fantasies of Aurora are. The lines between "fantasy" and "reality" might be blurred (and that's where you could argue that a magical realism element comes in), but there's enough delineation between the two that I find it extremely questionable to write off Molina's perspective on actual events as being totally unreliable. For example, we hear Valentin's internal debate over whether to seduce Molina, including his consideration of it as a means to an end....would we hear that if Molina's bias was so all-encompassing as to idealize or project his wishes onto the situation?
Does that mean that Valentin actually reciprocates Molina's feelings? Not necessarily. It's true that we can only surmise what he's thinking or feeling based on his behavior. But I don't think there's ample evidence to say that, if one thinks based on interpretation of the piece that he has romantic feelings for Molina, it must be just because we're seeing from Molina's biased perspective. If that were true, that would seriously hinder, like, ALL literary analysis of works told from a first-person or third-person limited perspective. Again, we're not given enough evidence that Molina is that biased in perspective.
Molina may want there to be something there (and maybe many homosexual audience members would also), but it's WAY too much of a stretch for me to think that he would develop actualy homosexual FEELINGS for Molina at that time. Might he have gone so far as to have sex with him? Yes. I don't argue that. But I simply do not buy that he has actual feelings for him, that, for example, were they suddenly put out of the jail cell, would even in the slightest make him consider a relationship with Molina at all. I'm not even sure where to begin. "and maybe many homosexual audience members" want there to be something there, so therefore they are reading into the piece because they're biased? I think it equally, if not more likely given your tone throughout this discussion, that
you are reading it with the biased perspective that there should not, cannot be any reciprocation on Valentin's part because he's straight. If people see it, they're projecting because they're gay? I wouldn't have ventured to say that you saw it your way because you're straight, except now it's clear that you're fine with (incorrectly) drawing that divide.
And that last part? If he were out of jail and in the real world, there are a lot of reasons besides lack of affection that Valentin wouldn't be with Molina -- one of which being the societal stigma against homosexuality. The fact that they wouldn't be together outside of those circumstances (no, they wouldn't) doesn't mean that real feelings haven't developed within the confines of the situation. I don't think that anyone has said that Valentin and Molina were "meant to be" or a great love, because that clearly isn't the case. I don't understand how you draw such rigid lines with sexuality and emotional involvement. No one has even said that Valentin is gay! Just that, even though he isn't, it's possible that he has developed romantic and/or sexual feelings for his cellmate and might not just be manipulating him. You can have another perspective for sure, but don't be so judgmental towards others.
Updated On: 4/17/08 at 04:07 PM
