Between Persona and Shadow: A Feminist–Jungian Dissection of The Silence of the Lambs

Abstract

By refracting modern anxieties through Jung’s Shadow and Persona archetypes and the process of individuation, this study reveals how The Silence of the Lambs fuses deep psychic fractures with rigid institutional constraints to conjure its unique form of monstrosity. A close reading of Buffalo Bill’s desperate pursuit of self, Hannibal Lecter’s cultivated menace, and Clarice Starling’s struggle for agency demonstrates that fragmented identity and eroded authenticity galvanize the film’s haunting power. Feminist critique further exposes how entrenched gender norms reshape traditional heroism and villainy under patriarchal pressures. Finally, formal analysis of lighting, framing, editing rhythms, and sound design shows how cinematic form externalizes internal collapse, opening fresh avenues for intersectional and media–technology studies of cinematic monstrosity.