To describe the novel as a thriller or crime story would be insulting. Harris has entwined complex undertones with the basic storyline which cause the story to turn positively horrific at times. The most frightening aspect of the book is the constant insights Harris gives into the tangled and twisted mind of the killer. In so many other novels of this genre the detective takes centre stage, leaving the murderer as a background figure who the reader knows little or nothing about. However, in Silence of the Lambs Harris constantly tells us of Buffalo Bill's thoughts, emotions and background, bringing him into the spotlight as a main character and in my opinion effectively making him appear much more sinister and threatening.

Buffalo Bill - conveyed to us by Harris in the form of a white male, brown haired and blue eyed, six feet one, thirty fo

This is a classic example of Oedipus complex - a sexual attraction of a son for his mother. Gumb's case is slightly different however, he does not want to posses his mother sexually, he wants to be her and have her power over men - that is where the allure lies for Gumb.

There are a number of things which most serial killers have in common. There are multiple victim, generally three or more. The killing will be continuous, although it may be spread out over days, weeks, months.....even years. There will indisputably be another victim however, until the killer is stopped in some way. Except in extremely rare cases the killer will work alone. The most important general fact is that the killer is motivated to kill, they simply need to kill. This need is fuelled by personal fantasies, this will undoubtedly reflect in the serial killers choice of victims.

I found exploring the mind of Gumb to be extremely interesting. The fact that he was based on a real person is very disconcerting, proving what the human mind and body is capable of. Perhaps this is the reason why Silence of the Lambs was so frightening, not only because of the obvious horror content, but because it truly is a tale of reality, the kind of distorted reality which we want to cover up and ignore - like someone shutting the curtains on an axe murderer in their garden, trying to convince themselves that if they cannot see him, they will be safe. I feel that this was Harris's purpose, to show the reader that nothing is impossible, people are capable of anything. Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lector may have been intended as the main characters, but in my opinion the true genius and terror of his novel was locked inside the mind of the killer.

Gumb was not always a transvestite, for years he attracted men as a man. Prior to being fired from a job he spitefully stole a package addressed to his ex-employer. Inside the parcel was a case containing an abundance of rare foreign butterflies, lying dead, presumably sent for display purposes. Gumb delved into the case and rummaged around in the midst of the tiny corpses, lest they be concealing something. He stumbled on a vile looking cocoon, and as he watched a beautiful butterfly emerged and fluttered around the room. Gumb then realised why he was unhappy - he was a woman trapped in a mans body. Turned away from the countless sex change surgery clinics he visited because of his mental instability, Gumb turned to transvestiteism in a vain attempt to become a replica of his idol and only love - his mother.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gumb Gumbs, James Gumb, Buffalo Bill, Gumb Apart, Bill Lector, Silence Lambs, Hannibal Lector, Buffalo Bill's, , Cannibal' Lector, buffalo bill, serial killer, mind killer, jame gumb, clarice starling, silence lambs, serial killers, 'silence lambs', killer killer, beauty contest,
Approximate Word count = 1750
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)