The Silence Of The Lambs Character Analysis

The Silence of the Lambs is a film that deals heavily with mental illness and diagnosis. A large portion of its cast are made up of fictional psychiatrists and behavior analysts. The setting for a abundance of the plot takes place at the Baltimore State Mental hospital for the Criminally Insane. The main protagonist Clarice Starling uses psychology and behavior analysts to track down a serial killer. Nevertheless, so much use of mental illness does not necessarily mean it gets it right. It does a superior job than most, however it uses many some common cinematic tricks to frame mental illness in a more exciting and dangerous light. In all actuality, “People with psychiatric disabilities are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent crime” (Appleby, et al., 2001). Contributing mental illness with this …show more content…
Hannibal Lecter definitely displays the violent nature often considered with psychopaths. However, these murders and killings usually take a copious amount of skill and intelligence. The way many of his murders are displayed or prepared in an elegant meal shows a great deal of care, dedication, or love for these horrendous deeds. Even when he murders someone close to him, the extra effort he puts forth after their death shows he cares more of them than others. This shows an ability to establish personal relationships or to love someone or something. That is two symptoms that do not diagnosis Hannibal Lecter as a psychopath. He does not fit the symptom of being an antisocial individual, which is a crucial factor in him not being a psychopath. Hannibal is undoubtedly a social person, and one reason he killed some individuals is because he saw them as rude. Therefore, Silence of the Lambs is wrong about Hannibal Lecter being described as a