The Silence of the Lambs

by

Thomas Harris

Catherine Baker Martin Character Analysis

Catherine Baker Martin is the daughter of Senator Ruth Martin. Jame Gumb kidnaps her and holds her in his basement. After some time, Catherine realizes who kidnapped her and does everything she can to escape. Eventually, she resorts to capturing Gumb’s dog, Precious, and threatening the animal’s safety. Luckily, Starling manages to get to Catherine before Gumb can harm her.

Catherine Baker Martin Quotes in The Silence of the Lambs

The The Silence of the Lambs quotes below are all either spoken by Catherine Baker Martin or refer to Catherine Baker Martin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Sexism and Law Enforcement Theme Icon
).
Chapter 23 Quotes

“Wash yourself.”

It was the same unearthly voice she’d heard talking to the dog.

Another bucket coming down on a thin cord. She smelled hot, soapy water.

“Take it off and wash yourself all over, or you’ll get the hose.” And an aside to the dog as the voice faded, “Yes it will get the hose, won’t it, Darlingheart, yes it will!”

Related Characters: Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill (speaker), Catherine Baker Martin, Precious
Page Number: 154-155
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

“I hadn’t heard your voice in years—I suppose the last time was when you gave me all the misleading answers in my interviews and then ridiculed me in your Journal articles. It’s hard to believe an inmate’s opinions could count for anything in the professional community, isn’t it?”

Related Characters: Dr. Chilton (speaker), Hannibal Lecter, Catherine Baker Martin
Page Number: 175-176
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

To even mention Buffalo Bill in the same breath with the problems we treat here is ignorant and unfair and dangerous, Mr. Crawford. It makes my hair stand on end.

Related Characters: Dr. Danielson (speaker), Hannibal Lecter, Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Jack Crawford, Catherine Baker Martin
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

He switches back to the cage just in time. The big insect’s wings are held above her back, hiding and distorting her markings. Now she brings down her wings to cloak her body and the famous design is clear. A human skull, wonderfully executed in the furlike scales, stares from the back of the moth. Under the shaded dome of the skull are the black eye holes and prominent cheekbones. Beneath them darkness lies like a gag across the face above the jaw. The skull rests on a marking flared like the top of a pelvis.

A skull stacked upon a pelvis, all drawn on the back of a moth by an accident of nature.

Related Characters: Hannibal Lecter, Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Catherine Baker Martin
Related Symbols: Death’s Head Moths
Page Number: 205
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 35 Quotes

“He covets. In fact, he covets being the very thing you are. It’s his nature to covet. How do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort at an answer.”

“No. We just—”

“No. Precisely so. We begin by coveting what we see every day. Don’t you feel eyes moving over you every day, Clarice, in chance encounters? I hardly see how you could not. And don’t your eyes move over things?”

Related Characters: Clarice Starling (speaker), Hannibal Lecter (speaker), Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Catherine Baker Martin
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:

Do you think if you caught Buffalo Bill yourself and if you made Catherine all right, you could make the lambs stop screaming, do you think they’d be all right too and you wouldn’t wake up again in the dark and hear the lambs screaming?

Related Characters: Hannibal Lecter (speaker), Clarice Starling, Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Catherine Baker Martin
Related Symbols: Lambs
Page Number: 230
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 49 Quotes

He had in the past hunted young women through the blacked-out basement using his infrared goggles and light, and it was wonderful to do, watching them feel their way around, seeing them try to scrunch into corners. He liked to hunt them with the pistol. He liked to use the pistol. Always they became disoriented, lost their balance, ran into things. He could stand in absolute darkness with his goggles on, wait until they took their hands down from their faces, and shoot them right in the head. Or in the legs first, below the knee so they could still crawl.

Related Characters: Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Catherine Baker Martin
Related Symbols: Death’s Head Moths
Page Number: 302
Explanation and Analysis:
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Catherine Baker Martin Quotes in The Silence of the Lambs

The The Silence of the Lambs quotes below are all either spoken by Catherine Baker Martin or refer to Catherine Baker Martin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Sexism and Law Enforcement Theme Icon
).
Chapter 23 Quotes

“Wash yourself.”

It was the same unearthly voice she’d heard talking to the dog.

Another bucket coming down on a thin cord. She smelled hot, soapy water.

“Take it off and wash yourself all over, or you’ll get the hose.” And an aside to the dog as the voice faded, “Yes it will get the hose, won’t it, Darlingheart, yes it will!”

Related Characters: Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill (speaker), Catherine Baker Martin, Precious
Page Number: 154-155
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

“I hadn’t heard your voice in years—I suppose the last time was when you gave me all the misleading answers in my interviews and then ridiculed me in your Journal articles. It’s hard to believe an inmate’s opinions could count for anything in the professional community, isn’t it?”

Related Characters: Dr. Chilton (speaker), Hannibal Lecter, Catherine Baker Martin
Page Number: 175-176
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

To even mention Buffalo Bill in the same breath with the problems we treat here is ignorant and unfair and dangerous, Mr. Crawford. It makes my hair stand on end.

Related Characters: Dr. Danielson (speaker), Hannibal Lecter, Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Jack Crawford, Catherine Baker Martin
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

He switches back to the cage just in time. The big insect’s wings are held above her back, hiding and distorting her markings. Now she brings down her wings to cloak her body and the famous design is clear. A human skull, wonderfully executed in the furlike scales, stares from the back of the moth. Under the shaded dome of the skull are the black eye holes and prominent cheekbones. Beneath them darkness lies like a gag across the face above the jaw. The skull rests on a marking flared like the top of a pelvis.

A skull stacked upon a pelvis, all drawn on the back of a moth by an accident of nature.

Related Characters: Hannibal Lecter, Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Catherine Baker Martin
Related Symbols: Death’s Head Moths
Page Number: 205
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 35 Quotes

“He covets. In fact, he covets being the very thing you are. It’s his nature to covet. How do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort at an answer.”

“No. We just—”

“No. Precisely so. We begin by coveting what we see every day. Don’t you feel eyes moving over you every day, Clarice, in chance encounters? I hardly see how you could not. And don’t your eyes move over things?”

Related Characters: Clarice Starling (speaker), Hannibal Lecter (speaker), Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Catherine Baker Martin
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:

Do you think if you caught Buffalo Bill yourself and if you made Catherine all right, you could make the lambs stop screaming, do you think they’d be all right too and you wouldn’t wake up again in the dark and hear the lambs screaming?

Related Characters: Hannibal Lecter (speaker), Clarice Starling, Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Catherine Baker Martin
Related Symbols: Lambs
Page Number: 230
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 49 Quotes

He had in the past hunted young women through the blacked-out basement using his infrared goggles and light, and it was wonderful to do, watching them feel their way around, seeing them try to scrunch into corners. He liked to hunt them with the pistol. He liked to use the pistol. Always they became disoriented, lost their balance, ran into things. He could stand in absolute darkness with his goggles on, wait until they took their hands down from their faces, and shoot them right in the head. Or in the legs first, below the knee so they could still crawl.

Related Characters: Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill, Catherine Baker Martin
Related Symbols: Death’s Head Moths
Page Number: 302
Explanation and Analysis: