The image of mother in the novels ‘Betrayed by Rita Hayworth’, ‘Kiss of the spider woman’, ‘Pubis angelical’ by Manuel Puig

The article explores the image of mother in the works of the Argentinian writer Manuel Puig. The study aims to determine how the image of mother is represented and to reveal its role in M. Puig’s works. In the course of research, three novels were analyzed: Betrayed by Rita Hayworth (1968), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1976), Pubis Angelical (1979), which made it possible to draw inferences about the development and transformation of the image of mother in the author’s works. The methodological and theoretical basis of the paper is works on literary studies and psychology. The image of mother plays an important role in culture because maternal figure has a significant influence on the formation of personality. The study revealed that the image of mother is represented in M. Puig’s novels in three ways: the mother corresponds to the traditional female model of behavior, she supports the protagonist and becomes a role model for him or her (Toto, Molina); the mother corresponds to the traditional female model of behavior, but is despised by the protagonist as she represents the authoritarian patriarchal society and the image of ‘castrating mother’ (Valentin, Ana); the mother does not correspond to the traditional female model of behavior, the protagonist embodies the image of mother herself (Ana). In addition, the image of mother is closely related to the image of death, connected with the process of the protagonist’s growing-up, and used to reveal the political subtext, which indicates the complex nature of the image of mother in M. Puig’s novels. The relationship between the protagonist and his or her mother reveals their motivation, the internal and external conflicts.