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
Lecter’s cell is isolated from the rest, and someone nailed everything in it to the ground. There are books all over the cell and drawings of European cities that Lecter created himself from memory. When Starling approaches the cell, she sees Lecter lying in his bunk and reading Vogue. She notices that his left hand has six fingers. Starling introduces herself to Lecter and asks if they can talk. Lecter asks to see her credentials. Starling calls over one of the guards, Barney, to oversee the safe exchange of her ID to Lecter.
One of the main themes in the novel is the nature of evil, but it quickly becomes clear that Lecter is a very complex person when it comes to his relationship with evil. Not only is he intelligent, but he appreciates art and culture. He has an apparent love for the world around him that one would not expect from a serial killer. His nature is not necessarily contradictory, but it subverts what one thinks of when one hears the term “serial killer.”
Themes
Lecter examines the ID while sniffing the air. He is annoyed that Crawford sent a student to interview him rather than a professional. Then, he asks Starling what Miggs whispered when she walked by. Starling repeats what Miggs said: “I can smell your cunt.” In response, Lecter says, “I myself cannot” and then correctly names Starling’s skin cream and perfume. Then, Lecter compliments Starling’s handbag and insults her shoes. Starling responds indifferently to Lecter’s comments and asks Lecter about his drawings. Lecter answers her questions but quickly shifts the conversation to Will Graham, one of Crawford’s protégés with whom he worked and almost killed. Starling tells Lecter that she has never met Graham and does not know much about him.
Both Miggs and Lecter immediately make Starling’s gender relevant to their interactions with her. As he speaks with Starling, Lecter is trying to sniff out her insecurities. He suspects that narrowing in on her gender and her dress will get under her skin. In this conversation, and in every conversation they have throughout the novel, Starling and Lecter battle for control over the topic of their discussion. However, both must be careful not to scare the other one away. Starling has power and information Lecter wants, and vice versa.
Themes
Starling tries to cleverly bring up the survey she wants Lecter to fill out, but he stops her. Lecter tells Starling she was doing well in the conversation until this sloppy segue. Starling assures Lecter that she would not dream of trying to trick him; she knows he is much too intelligent for something like that.
Here, Lecter engages in a meta-conversation about how Starling engages with him. He acknowledges that she is performing a role and encourages her to do so tactfully. Otherwise, he will shut down.
Themes
Lecter switches the topic of conversation to the recent papers from the Behavioral Science unit. In particular, he asks Starling what she thinks about an article claiming serial killers belong in two groups: organized and disorganized. Starling is not fond of the classification but tries to speak with seriousness about it. Meanwhile, Lecter mocks the idea that his psychology could possibly be so simple.
Here, Lecter is annoyed that psychologists would try to put someone like him into a neat box. He sees himself as infinitely complex and does not think researchers understand him at all. An important question throughout the novel is whether Lecter is as complex as he would like others to think.
Themes
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Then, Lecter brings up Buffalo Bill, a serial killer at large that Crawford is busy trying to catch. He asks Starling what she knows about Buffalo Bill. Starling says she is not assigned to the case and knows nothing that is not in the papers. Lecter asks if she knows where Buffalo Bill got his name from. Starling tells Lecter that the name comes from a bad joke: “They call him Buffalo Bill because he skins his humps.”
The bad joke Starling repeats implies that Buffalo Bill is sexually assaulting his victims, though that is not actually the case. A few notable serial killers skinned their victims, the most notable of which was Ed Gein. Gein was active in the 1940s and 1950s, and his gruesome legacy saturated the media in the decades following his arrest. Although Buffalo Bill is not an Ed Gein clone, they have a lot in common, as will become apparent over the course of the novel.
Themes
Satisfied, Lecter asks Starling to give him the questionnaire. However, when he looks at it, he mocks its simplicity. Starling tells Lecter that the questionnaire aims to figure out how people like Lecter come into being. In response, Lecter says that human behavior is not reducible to a set of influences. Starling does not try to argue with Lecter. She tells him that she cannot explain him—that is something only he can do.
Lecter hates the idea that human psychology is reducible to a questionnaire. However, his response could be a defense mechanism rather than an honest position he holds. Lecter is always guarded when talking about himself and does not want to share his internal reality with anyone.
Themes
Lecter holds up his six-fingered hand to indicate that Starling should stop talking. Then, he lets out a diatribe to dig up Starling’s insecurities. He tells her she looks like a “rube” who came from nothing and is trying to make something of herself. However, no matter how hard she tries, a part of her will always feel inadequate. He also implies that she is desperate for approval and will never find a man to love her. Starling compliments Lecter’s insight but then asks him if he is brave enough to turn his mental faculties inward to examine himself.
Lecter’s six-fingered hand symbolizes his unique nature. In this section, his cruelty starts to show. He does everything he can to humiliate Starling and pick her apart psychologically. Just like many other men in the novel, Lecter uses gender to try to get under Starling’s skin. Starling’s response shows that Lecter’s comments do not phase her.
Themes
Lecter sends Starling away, refusing to partake in her study. Starling walks away from Lecter to exit the facility. However, on her way down the hall, Miggs throws semen on Starling’s face. Disgusted, Starling wants to leave immediately, but Lecter starts calling her name. Starling returns to Lecter’s cell. Lecter tells Starling that he disapproves of the “discourtesy” Miggs committed and therefore wants to help her out. He still refuses to fill out the questionnaire, but he promises to give Starling the thing she wants the most: advancement. Then, he tells Starling to “[l]ook in Raspail’s car,” though he does not explain what that means.
Even though Lecter is a serial killer, he abides by a moral code of sorts. In particular, he hates behavior he considers rude or discourteous, which is why he decides to help Starling after Miggs assaults her. This section is the first time Harris mentions the name “Raspail.” Lecter’s comment suggests he has something to do with the Buffalo Bill case. If Starling can figure out what that is, she may receive the promotion that Lecter correctly presumes she wants.
Themes
