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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Silence of the Lambs, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sexism and Law Enforcement
The Nature of Evil
Class and Shame
Manipulation
Summary
Analysis
Starling and Crawford ride in a car together. Starling is on her way to the Smithsonian, and Crawford is heading to the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. Crawford is upset that he can’t return to his wife, and Starling hears him arranging for a night nurse on the phone. Then, Crawford asks Starling to draft him a description for the Latent Descriptor Index, a program the FBI uses to find criminals based on the facts gathered at a crime scene. Together, Starling and Crawford discuss what should go in the description. In particular, they note a few new pieces of information; this is the first time Buffalo Bill scalped his victim, took triangular patches from her shoulders, shot her in the chest, and left a cocoon in her throat (as far as they are aware).
Crawford desperately wants the case to end so he can go home to his wife. His job often requires him to be away for both days and nights, meaning he could miss the last few days of his wife’s life. Although all of the new information Starling and Crawford gathered from the West Virginia crime scene is helpful because it is new, Starling does not know what to make of these new developments. Also, this is another passage where Harris demonstrates his love for proper FBI procedure and terminology. The Latent Descriptor Index is a real tool the FBI used, a version of which still exists today.
Themes
Starling notes that scalping is rare and asks Crawford how Lecter knew Buffalo Bill would do it. Crawford tells Starling that Lecter merely guessed and that it is not a surprise, given that several recent serial killers did the same thing. Starling also asks why Lecter thinks Buffalo Bill has a two-story house. Crawford explains that a two-story house is ideal for hanging someone. The easiest way to hang someone is with a long staircase, which would only be in a two-story home.
It is hard to know whether Crawford is giving Lecter enough credit. Although Crawford is a great leader, his hatred for Lecter occasionally blinds him. In particular, Lecter’s note about Bella may have made Crawford less willing to take Lecter’s statement seriously. Of course, it is wise not to trust Lecter, but there is still an open question about whether Crawford is emotionally compromised.
Themes
Starling and Crawford’s conversation ends as they arrive at FBI headquarters, and Crawford gets out of the car. Before Crawford leaves, he says that he knows Starling is upset by his sexist comment at the funeral home. He assures her it was only a strategy to get the sheriff alone. Starling says she knows what Crawford was doing, but it still matters because the other men see Crawford as a role model. Crawford tells Starling he sees her point and will take it into consideration in the future. As Starling drives away from Crawford, she has a renewed respect for him and feels ready to lay down her life for him if need be.
This moment is important for both Starling and Crawford. Before their mission in West Virginia, Starling had the utmost respect for Crawford; however, that respect began to wane after what he said. However, now that they have cleared the air, Starling is back to feeling confident about having Crawford as her leader. Her renewed confidence is because Crawford takes her comment to heart; he thinks she made a good point and is willing to change his behavior.
Themes
