Thomas Harris’ novel, The Silence of the Lambs, tells the story of a young FBI trainee, Clarice Starling, and her attempt to uncover the identity of a serial killer...by infiltrating the mind of another. Only by studying the mind of the brilliant and cunning, cannibal, Hannibal Lecter, can she hope to catch the notorious Buffalo Bill, as the time ticks down on the life of another of the deranged killer’s victims. Thus, is born one of creepiest and most captivating books I have ever read. From the unforgettable, terror-inspiring villain, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, to the sharp, yet detailed prose; everything Harris has done in creating and developing the novel is top-notch. While each chapter is scarier than the last, the book is incredibly enthralling and even through the worst parts, it was difficult for me to put the novel down. Overall, it is difficult to find a true “spirit of the book”; however, other than just trying to creep out the readers and write a thrilling novel, possibly the theory that the book is about the tragedy of the death of innocents holds some value.
The theory does have a strong relationship to the name of the book, which gives the theory some fairly substantial backing, and compares young lambs to the victims of Buffalo Bill, which gives the theory some fairly substantial backing. Toward the end of the book, it is revealed that Clarice is sometimes woken during her sleep, by the memory of screaming lambs awaiting slaughter, as she is running away from her Uncle and Aunt’s slaughterhouse ranch. This is drawn out of her by Dr. Lecter during one of their many discussions, and he indicates that if she can successfully capture Buffalo Bill and stop more innocents from dying then, perhaps, in her memory of the lambs they would stop screaming. Thus, Clarice takes it upon herself to use the information Dr. Lecter has given her, and at times only her, to track down Buffalo Bill and save his latest kidnapped victim, Catherine Martin, a senator’s daughter. In the end, Agent Starling does indeed find and kill the notorious criminal and as the novel concludes the audience finds out that she does indeed rest within the silence of the lambs, and yet a note, the now on-the-run, Dr. Lecter sends to her suggests that the silence is only temporary and it will only come when she earns is again and again. I’m not entirely sure how that can be affirmed with any evidence; however, it may be due to her profession in law enforcement. Perhaps, all those innocents who have died in the novel and will die in the future are just like the helpless, screaming lambs that she ran away from, and she connects between them. Therefore, every time she has a case in the future she will once again be awoken by the piercing cries of the lambs, until she has subdued the criminal and brought peace to everyone else and herself. Then, perhaps the message that Harris is trying to convey is that lambs primed for slaughter are just like victims of serial killers. It’s seems like quite a stretch but it could be an animal rights protest. That theory could be furthered by the Buffalo Bill character, who skins his victims in a similar way that someone would skin a Buffalo. To us it would be inhumane and disgraceful to do that to a person, living or dead, but with the Buffalo, if it’s dead, why let its pelt go to waste? Also, Clarice’s last name is Starling, which is a species of Bird; maybe just a coincidence or possibly more symbolism.
Other than the possible theory of animal rights and the tragedy of the unnecessary death of innocent creatures (animal or human), the book does an excellent job to spook out the reader. Especially reading this late at night, I couldn’t help but think lay in bed, jumping at every little movement, thoughts of Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill parading through my fragile mind. Hannibal Lecter the charming and incredibly intelligent psychiatrist, is made all the worse by his murderous and cannibalistic instincts, even though he is imprisoned for most of the book. From his maroon eyes and six fingered left hand, to the descriptions of him licking his lips and teeth, and the knowledge that he has to be securely bound up with every type of restraining mechanism every time somebody enters his cell, inspires such terror and fear that is impossible to forget. And when the Doctor escapes from the low security prison by killing the two guards in such brutal ways, and then cutting off pieces of the guards faces and placing them on top of his own so that he could escape, sent a severe chill through my body.
Then there was Buffalo Bill, the deranged sex-confused serial killer determined to make a costume out of parts of the women’s bodies that he had killed. Buffalo Bill or Jame (misspelling of James) Gumb is an insect-fanatic and a seamstress with a fetish for the dark; a strange and by no means normal character. For a man that killed his grandparents, while aged only 12, just for the spite of it, he immediately suggests a messed-up character is someone that Lecter has fun revealing because of his numerous quirks and irregularities. His character isn’t helped by the fact that he has a freaky obsession with watching his mother on a tape recording every morning and evening, and his Gollum-esque integration with his puppy which sometimes borders on just creepy. Lastly, he hunts larger women, because he himself is on the bigger side and he needs a woman-suit that will fit, and he has a dungeon well in his basement.......sort of reminiscent of Josef Fritzel.
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