SOURCE: "The Power Struggle: Gender and Voices in 'Moscas y arañas' by Bioy Casares," in Monographic Review/Revista Mongrafica, Vol. IV, 1988, pp. 268-277.

In the following essay, Snook examines the dynamics of the relationship between genders as well as narrative voices in "Moscas y arañas. "

During an [unpublished 1987] interview, Bioy Casares once stated that he considered male/female the most interesting source of dramatic conflict for his works. Many of his fantastic stories, consequently, portray a male protagonist's attempts to be united or reunited with a woman. These attempts are met with all sorts of obstacles, including the intervention of powers beyond his comprehension or control, and are inevitably unsuccessful. The failed quest for union or reunion seems to be linked to the stories' underlying theme of duality that explores the separation or conflict between mind and body. The failed search for reintegration with the female...