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Jonathan Demme’s film, The Silence of the Lambs elicits a multitude of readings because of difficulty in projecting definitive gender identity onto the characters in the film. ... In Janet Staiger’s essay, “Taboos and Totems: Cultural Meanings of The Silence of the Lambs,” Staiger points out the Lecter/Gumb binary opposition that may explain homophobic readings of the film (213). ... By examining Lecter and Gumb’s choice of victims, method of killing, mobility, and function in the plot, Lecter clearly offers a non-homophobic, pro-feminist reading of The Silence of the Lambs similar to that of Starling. ... In, “ Seeing the Female Body Differently: Gender Issues in The Silence of the Lambs” Diane Dubois notes, “In this film about a killer who values women only for their skins—surely the ultimate objectification of women—the character of Gumb need not be read as a negative gay stereotype, but as the film’s arch misogynist, deserving not our homophobic hate, but our anti-sexist anger,” (302). ... Buffalo Bill’s hatred of his own identity motivates him to kill, however, his choice of victims and methodology symbolizes the anxiety femininity creates in the patriarchy. ... He resists the normal masculine gender identification his strong presence in the film seems to exude. ... Ironically, Lecter’s wearing of the skin creates anxiety in the patriarchy, whereas Buffalo Bill’s wearing of the skin is an attempt to assuage his anxieties about his identity.
Approximate Word count = 1301
Approximate Pages = 5.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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