An Interpretation of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs from the Perspective of Existentialist Feminism

Abstract

The Silence of the Lambs, a suspense novel written by Thomas Harris in 1999, tells a story about a clever and courageous FBI agent, Clarice Starling, who overcomes difficulties caused by sexism and wins herself a reputation and honor by investigating a serial murder case. Since the novel was published, discussions about the plot and characters have never stopped. Nevertheless, research related to the protagonist Clarice Starling based on existentialist feminism are rare. This thesis takes Simone de Beauvoir’s existentialist feminism and the concept of “the other” to analyze gender inequalities encountered by Clarice Starling and her resistance against the patriarchal society. Therefore, combined with most women’s current living situation that gender inequality remains widespread, hindering their advance at work and in daily life, this thesis concludes that women should establish the subjective consciousness, prove their self-worth as females and avoid being “the other” through efforts.