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
Gumb moves quietly about in his pitch-dark basement with night vision goggles on. He uses the goggles to observe his moths without disturbing them. Gumb’s basement is vast and labyrinthian. Even he has not been in most of the rooms in years. As Gumb watches the moths, his gaze drifts around the room, and he sees the assortment of weapons he has used to kill and flay his victims. When Gumb’s gaze returns to the moth, he sees it spread its wings. He admires the pattern on the wings, which resembles a human skull.
After Gumb finishes with the moths, he moves towards the basement stairs. On his way there, he stops by Catherine’s oubliette and looks down at her. At the moment, she is sleeping. Gumb uses the night vision goggles to look over her skin. As he examines her, he contemplates the proper time to kill her. He settles on the following day because her skin already looks loose enough for his needs.
This scene works to create more tension and dramatic irony for the reader, as now there is a set time when Catherine will die, even if Starling and Crawford do not know it yet. When Gumb looks at Catherine, his thoughts are frighteningly impersonal. To him, she is nothing but skin he can use.
Themes
