Both the novel and the movie The Silence of the Lambs follow the same basic plot, and start and end the same way. The theme of both works is the same, and the novel contains all characters that were in the movie. There are, however, many, many differences in the plot and character development.

The movie, while excellent as far as movies go, excludes many crucial scenes, details, and characters. Because of this, the novel is far superior to the movie. For example, throughout the novel, Clarice operates under the fear that she may be "recycled", or held back at Quantico Academy for missing classes while on her assignment with Jack Crawford. This fear impacts many of Clarice's decisions throughout the book. However, the entire notion of being recycled is absent from the movie.

In the novel, Dr. Lecter has six fingers on his left hand. It is this polydactyly that, in a crucial scene, sways his guard's attention from his other hand, in which he holds a makeshift key to his handcuffs. This allows him to escape from his cage. In the movie, however, Dr. Lecter has no sixth finger.

The lack of scenes involving Jame Gumb also greatly detracts from the movie's appeal. In the novel, the r

eader is allowed an in-depth look inside the life of a sociopath. Thomas Harris writes these scenes in such vivid detail that the reader knows exactly what Jame Gumb is thinking and what his motives are for committing his bizarre acts. It is truly disturbing to recount these scenes, but they add to the book's intense realism. In the movie, however, the viewer is treated to only a few, short scenes of Jame Gumb, in which we learn nothing of his motives or train of thought.

These kinds of plot differences, in which they start and end the same, with variations in between, are numerous. In the interest of saving time, the director of The Silence of the Lambs changed scenes to fit a specific time frame, thus detracting from the movie's overall appeal.

There were also many minor differences between the novel and film. These differences did not have a large impact on the plot, but did effect the feel of the story. The novel had many clever details that enhanced the story, while the film had but a few. Sometimes, clever details from the novel were needlessly changed. For example, in the novel, Dr. Lecter informs a U.S. senator (whose daughter has been captured by Jame Gumb) that her captor's name is "Billy Rubin." This turns out to be false, as "Billy Rubin" actually means billirubin, a foul smelling compound found in fecal matter. In the film, however, Lecter says the captor's name is "Louis Friend." This also turns out to be false, as "Louis Friend" is an anagram for iron sulfide. On a separate occasion, Clarice visits Dr. Lecter in his cell. He shows Clarice his design for a "Jesus watch" for which he wishes to get a patent. Upon closer i

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