The Silence of the Lambs Themes

Sexism and Law Enforcement

Clarice Starling, the lead character in The Silence of the Lambs, is a woman working in a sexist and heavily male-dominated context. She is one of only a handful female agents in training at Quantico, and strangers constantly remind her that her gender does not match her occupation. Early in the novel, Starling takes a trip with Jack Crawford, a higher-up at the FBI, to examine the body of one of Buffalo…

read analysis of Sexism and Law Enforcement

The Nature of Evil

There are two notably evil people in The Silence of the Lambs: Jame Gumb and Hannibal Lecter. Gumb (also known as Buffalo Bill) is a serial killer who imprisons women and skins them. The novel presents him as fundamentally unlikeable and irredeemable. For all intents and purposes, he is evil incarnate, and he functions as the novel’s primary villain. Hannibal Lecter, on the other hand, is a different beast. Unlike Gumb, Lecter looks…

read analysis of The Nature of Evil

Class and Shame

During her many conversations with Hannibal Lecter, Starling’s class background slowly comes into focus. The first time Lecter meets Starling, he immediately notices the way she is dressed. He remarks that she looks like a “rube” who is trying to appeal to a sophisticated class of people but is only pulling off a poor imitation. Lecter’s comments cut deep for Starling because she does feel embarrassment about how she grew up. Later in…

read analysis of Class and Shame

Manipulation

Manipulation is an important tool for all of the main players in the novel. The plot starts with Crawford manipulating Starling into speaking with Hannibal Lecter. Crawford tells Starling that he wants Lecter to fill out a questionnaire, knowing full well that Lecter will never agree to it. In reality, Crawford wants information on the Buffalo Bill case, but he knows he will never get it if he sends Starling in with that goal…

read analysis of Manipulation