Works Cited

The Silence of the Lambs. Jonathan Demme. Perf. Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Ted Lavine. MCA Records, 1991. DVD.

Woolcott, Ina. Moth Power Aniaml, Symbol of Transformation. n. page. Web. 22 Apr 2011.

<http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6157/moth-power-animal-symbol-of-transformation>

House of Names: Symbolism-Lamb. Swyrich Corportation (2000): n. pag. Web. 22 Apr 2011.

<http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp/keyword.lamb/qx/symbolism_details.htm>

The Real Story: Silence of the Lambs. Smithsonian Channel: Television. 14 Apr 2011.

< http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/sn/video/player/latest-videos/related/the-real-story-silence-of-the-lambs-sneak-peek/589159642001/>

Images and Video:

Silence of the Lambs Optical Illusion.Web. 22 Apr 2011.

<http://growabrain.typepad.com/growabrain/2008/07/silence-of-the.html>

Hannibal Lecter May Be Dino DiLaurentiis’ Most Lasting Legacy. Web. 22 Apr 2011.

<http://www.wordandfilm.com/2010/11/hannibal-lecter-may-be-dino-dilaurentiis-most-lasting-legacy/>

The Revenge of the Black Kitten Clan! Web. 22 Apr 2011.

<http://blackkittenclan.tumblr.com/post/1612742145/deaths-head-hawk-moth-acherontia-lachesis>

The Lonely Goatherd Blog. Web. 22 Apr 2011.

<http://www.morethings.com/log/2007/09/jodie-foster-photo-galleries.html>

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)- Official Trailer. Web. 22 Apr 2011.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKs169Sl0I>

Profiler to Profiler, Psychopath to Psychopath

Within the film The Silence of the Lambs there are many comparisons made to real life situations and how the book and film came about. First of all Clarice’s character was evolved from a real life behavioral science unit profiler named Pat Kirby in 1984. Everyone found that it was much easier for a psychopath/serial killer to talk to a woman versus a man, because most of their victims are women. Hannibal Lecter can be compared to a real life psychopath/serial killer named Ted Bundy. Both Hannibal and Ted appear to be normal, there appearances were normal, and they did not look like someone that would commit such horrible crimes. Both men were intelligent in the fact that they both had a degree in psychology. Ted and Hannibal took great risks to kill their victims, they both have escaped jail to continue their killing spree, they were both manipulative, they were both “too cooperative” with the police, and did not show any remorse for their killings. Ted Bundy differed from Hannibal, because Ted was a rapist while Hannibal was a cannibal, Ted also was a law student. Buffalo Bill on the other hand could be compared to another real life serial killer from the 1950s known as Ed Gein. The similarities that Ed and Bill shared included: their shelter being isolated where it is not obvious that there are dead bodies in a building, both character were “reclusive and eccentric”, they both seemed like ordinary people, both men killed and skinned their victims, both men wanted become a woman and danced in front of mirrors dressed like a woman. The difference appeared in the way that Ed and Bill kill their victims. Buffalo Bill starves his victims to ensure their skin is loose enough to remove and kill them. Ed Gein kills his victims and hangs them by their ankles to drain the blood from the body and mutilates the body such as using the skull as a pet food dish, cuts off separate body parts, and does not use the entire body as a costume (The Real Story: Silence of the Lambs).

 http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/sn/video/player/the-silence-of-the-lambs-the-real-story-the-silence-of-the-lambs-full-episode/660541096001/?source=shared

A Moth and a Lamb

One of the most significant symbols that appears throughout The Silence of the Lambs, in Buffalo Bill’s house and within his victims, are moths and their larvae. The moth itself resembles “[…] transformation/metamorphosis [and the] ability to confuse enemies […]” (Woolcott). Transformation and metamorphism applies to Buffalo Bill, because Buffalo Bill tries to transform into a women by using their skin that he skinned off his victims as a costume to cover his manly figure. Also Buffalo Bill tries to confuse his victims and enemies that he is a normal person, when in fact he is not so innocent. The moths lifespan symbolism includes: “the egg stage is symbolic of the birth of an idea, the larvae stage is the foundation, the chrysalis stage is symbolic of the manifestation, and the growing of wings symbolizes taking flight and exploring uncharted territory” (Woolcott). The birth of an idea (egg) starts when Buffalo Bill realizes the he can use a woman’s skin as a costume. The foundation (larvae embedded in a victim), is the dead body itself, giving Buffalo Bill a starting point to use the skin of a woman as a way to transform his appearence. Manifestation is shown when Buffalo Bill has made several costumes out of women’s skin. Buffalo Bill takes flight and explores unfamiliar territory by capturing many women over and over again; he takes risks that he might not have taken before by becoming more comfortable with the idea of killing and making his transformation complete. Another symbol that gave the film its title is a lamb. A lamb symbolizes “[…] gentleness of character and patience under suffering. It signifies purity, meekness and sacrifice.” (House of Names). Clarice Starling plays the lamb within the film; the audience gets a sense that she is a purely gentle individual. The lambs Clarice remembers from childhood give her a main motive, pointed out by Hannibal, to stop the screaming of the lambs heard within her head by rescuing Catherine Martin, capturing Buffalo Bill, and carrying out her career as a behavioral science unit profiler. 

Hannibal Lecter Character Analysis

I believe one of the most interesting characters within the film is Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal Lecter’s personality seems to be antisocial in the fact that he does not like interact with people too often. He seems to tolerate most people, like the police officers that feed him and Clarice. Hannibal suffers from Antisocial Personality Disorder; also know as a psychopathy.  Within the movie Dr. Chitton describes Hannibal Lecter as “a pure psychopath” (Demme). Some of the key symptoms of psychopaths that match up with Hannibal’s personality include: “glib and superficial, grandiose sense of self-worth, lack of remorse or guilt, lack of empathy, deceitful and manipulative, impulsive, [and] poor behavioral control […]” (suite101.com). As far as motives go for Hannibal Lecter, his main objective seems to be escaping from jail and continuing on with his cannibalistic ways. He mentions to Clarice after he escapes jail “I do wish we could chat longer but...I'm having an old friend for dinner […]” (Demme). Hannibal’s character within the movie remains constant, except for the fact that he decides to spare Clarice’s life. Hannibal says to Clarice on the phone: “I have no plans to call on you, Clarice. The world's more interesting with you in it […]” (Demme). I think Hannibal is the antagonist in the film, because he tries to avoid and/or oppose any questions Clarice asks. Hannibal also opposes the police that try to feed him by unhooking his handcuffs, hooks one of the police officers onto the jail cell bar, beats him to death, and skins off the skin of the other officer to cover his own face to fool the EMTs. Overall Hannibal Lecter is a purely demented, but interesting character that makes The Silence of the Lambs an outstanding film.

And The Plot Thickens...

The film begins with Clarice, a student at UVA, runs through the woods near Quantico, Virginia. While Clarice performs her usual exercise, someone stops her telling her that Crawford wants to see her. Crawford assigns Clarice a special mission to talk/study Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic psychopath, to find out if he knows anything about another serial killer and/or psychopath known as Buffalo Bill. Buffalo Bill starves women and kills them only to use their skin to disguise himself as a woman; his recent victim is Catherine Martin. When Clarice begins her work with Hannibal, she feels a lot of pressure and breaks down from all of the chaos she experiences within the jail. After recovering from her initial visit with Hannibal Lecter, Clarice visits Hannibal’s cell and eventually tells him more about herself to receive more information about Buffalo Bill. Hannibal tells her that all the information about Buffalo Bill is in the case file. The Senator of Tennessee, Ruth Martin, offers Hannibal a nicer prison cell in hopes to find her daughter, Catherine Martin. Hannibal Lecter escapes after killing two police officers, several EMTs, and giving some final information tabout Buffalo Bill to Clarice. Clarice finds Buffalo Bill in Calumet, Illinois, kills him, and rescues Catherine Martin from a well Buffalo Bill kept her in. After the rescue, Clarice graduates from UVA, goes to a celebration, and receives a phone call from Hannibal. Hannibal mentions that he will not kill Clarice and that he is visiting an old friend. Hannibal hangs up the phone with Clarice still on the line; both Clarice and Hannibal go about their ways leaving the audience hanging and wondering where Hannibal’s whereabouts seems to be.

A Silent Proposal

I choose to write about The Silence of the Lambs simply because it is one of my favorite horror films. It is one of those movies that will never get old. The significant twist at the end of the movie can give anyone goose bumps no matter how many times one has watched this film. This particular film appeals to me; because I find it interesting how cruel and mindless and/or thoughtless someone can be such as a psychopath, cannibal, and even a serial killer. I have discovered some human behaviors extraordinary, especially after taking several psychology classes. As I approach uncovering the story behind The Silence of the Lambs I know that Hannibal Lecter, one of the main characters, is a pure cannibalistic psychopath and he in comparison with other real-life psychopaths, seem to have a similarities. As for Buffalo Bill, another main character, he shares similarities with other serial killers as well.