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
The FBI springs into action as soon as they learn someone kidnapped Catherine. They send a van to Senator Martin’s home to listen in on her phone in case she receives a ransom call. Additionally, all available resources are on high alert and ready to deploy at any minute. Not long after Buffalo Bill took Catherine, the Memphis police found a random man with her blouse, which he claimed to have found on the side of the road. Crawford thinks all the signs point to Buffalo Bill, though he holds off on saying so conclusively. Additionally, he worries about Senator Martin’s involvement in the case. He thinks she will only complicate matters and take actions that will hurt her daughter rather than help her. Unfortunately, there is nothing Crawford can do about that, so he agrees to meet with Senator Martin in Memphis.
Crawford knows that Senator Martin’s involvement in the case will only make his job harder. He will face more unnecessary pressure from a high political office, and the media will become more interested in the case than ever. In Crawford’s experience, these outside forces will put Catherine’s life in more danger than it might be in otherwise. Of course, more pressure on Crawford also means more pressure on Starling. She, too, is now involved in what could possibly be the most important case of her career, and she has not even graduated from Quantico.
Themes
