The Silence Of The Lambs

Gumb sits with Precious in his bedroom watching a recorded VHS tape—a ritual to prepare for killing. The tape shows the 1948 Miss Sacramento competition, where Gumb’s mother was a contestant. Enraptured by her beauty, Gumb rigs the tape to replay her smile several times. The tape then shows a late-night broadcast of women swimming and riding a water slide completely naked, one of which Gumb suspects is his mother.

When the tape ends, Gumb descends into his workroom, ignoring Catherine’s screams. He works carefully, preparing the perfected solutions for stretching and tanning Catherine’s skin. Along the workroom’s connecting corridor is Gumb’s sewing studio. Mannequins in leather and muslin garments fill the room, along with tables of wigs, cosmetics, and sewing machines, and an armoire that holds his “Special Things” (286). Gumb learned to sew in a mental health hospital and honed his skills over the years. He tests his design for the skin garment on muslin, tailoring and adjusting the mock-up. He becomes excited and playfully tries on wigs and accessories. Although he is eager, Gumb promises to wait to begin in the morning, so he doesn’t make mistakes.