Silence Of The Lambs Meaning

The story is about Clarice Starling, a student preparing for a life in the FBI, hunts a serial killer by use of vague information given to her by an incarcerated psychologist. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter relays information to Clarice in exchange for information about herself. The killer, known only as "Buffalo Bill", kidnaps large women, keeps them alive for a few days, and finally skins them. Clarice works against time as Buffalo Bill takes his newest victim. The significance of the movie title Silence of the Lambs ties back to Clarices childhood trauma. As a child Clarice witnessed a heard of lambs being slaughtered. The event haunts her still as an adult and has reoccurring dreams of the screaming lambs. The fact that she couldn't
do anything to save the lambs haunts her more than the simple fact that they were being killed. Doctor Hannibal Lector learns and reveals that Clarice has taken on the case to find the serial killer known as "Buffalo Bill" as a means to "Silence the lambs". Meaning Clarice feels that by saving Buffalo Bills victim and apprehending the killer she will no longer be haunted or have the reoccurring dreams of screaming lambs. Clarice seeks "the silence of the lambs". This is the motivation that Clarice has to take the case. Buffalo Bill has a much more twisted sadistic motivation.
Bill thinks he's a transsexual but has been rejected for sex reassignment surgery due to his felonious past. To satisfy his sexuality he sews a suit from women's skin so that he can wear it to act like a woman. It is also here that we see why he is fascinated by that particular moth because of its metamorphosis process that he compares to himself changing into a women. He is not the typical serial killer because his motive to kill is to make his woman suit to satisfy his sexuality needs. He does not enjoy the killing the women, in fact he has to find ways to cope with killing them. One of the most famous quotes from the movie "it rubs the lotion on the skin or it gets the hose again". He refers to his victims as "its" because he then feels he is killing an object and not a person. He does this to cope with killing. For example, he gave his dog "princess" a name and when the life of his dog was threatened he panicked and showed his true emotions and respect for life. Furthermore, the mother of the last victim got on TV and gave a message for the killer and stressed the fact that her daughter was a person with a name, character traits, and a personality. She tried to make the killer see the value of her daughters life as a person and not an
object. Although Dr Lector is incarcerated for life he still has abilities to be motivated to help Clarice with finding Buffalo Bill. Hannibal Lector is an extremely intelligent person and an ex psychologist. His fascination with psychological problems eventually led him to become like many of his patients. Because of his fascination with the mind Dr Lector offers to help Clarice if she shares all her personal information with Lector. Not only is doctor Lectors fascination with psychological problems a motivator but he has a need for control over people. Although he is incarcerated he is capable of manipulating people through his psychoanalysis abilities. That is why he requests to know everything about Clarice so that he can use it to manipulate her.