The Allegiance of a Psychopath: A Reassessment Of Morality And Evil

It is common in literature and film for viewers and readers to find characters that are interesting, relatable, sympathetic, and relatable. These texts make characters that readers and viewers can identify with and enjoy. Yet, it is not common for “good guys” to be villains in literature or film. The villain should fight injustice and wreck havoc on the protagonist’s plans. The villain is often the favorite character. So popular that a CBS 2003 list was created of the favorite villains.

Silence of the Lambs is a movie based on the Thomas Harris novel. It features the number one villain on the list. This is a great example of how evil is changing. Jodie Foster plays Clarice, an FBI agent in training, as she attempts Hannibal Lecter’s profile. Lecter is an ex-psychiatrist who kills his victims, then feeds off them. He’s often called “Hannibal the Cannibal”. Starling and Lecter develop a special relationship while profiling Jame Gumb. Starling is also involved in his investigation. Lecter, the ex-psychiatric of Gumb, is well versed in Gumb’s past and behavior. His advice is vital to the closure of the case. It’s clear that Lecter is the film’s villain. Even though Lecter has committed many horrific crimes, viewers feel a connection to him because of his altered moral code. Murray Smith refers the “perverse alliance” (Smith 227). Perverse loyalty “refers to how a film provokes emotions of sympathy or hatred towards its characters. Responses that are triggered (if not fully determined) by the film’s moral structure.” Smith, 220. Silence of The Lambs’ structure is such that viewers are able to relate to and even prefer Hannibal Lecter (CBS 2013, 2013). Aaron Taylor’s article A Cannibal’s Sermon – Hannibal Lecter and Sympathetic Villainy and moral Revaluation explains Murray Smith’s definition. Taylor also suggests that a perverse allegiance to a villain requires what Friedrich Nietzsche called “moral revaluation”. (Taylor (2014) This refers to the reworking or altering of the moral framework that was established by others who are able to surpass the limitations set. Hannibal Rising, the prequel film about Silence, shows how Hannibal Lecter was challenged as a child. These ideas shaped his behavior throughout his life (Hannibal Rising 2007). Hannibal Rising shows how Lecter was arrested and what motivated his killings. Extreme events like these require a lot more reflection and modification to our moral framework.

He clearly regards his victims and Agent Starling at a higher moral level. A viewer must examine their own ethics in order to understand the bonds of allegiance they form with Hannibal Lecter. It is easier to understand the actions and terms of a criminal by evaluating the accepted ideas of good/evil. Lecter’s views differ from his own, but they are an explanation that allows viewers to question their own views. Silence starts with Frederick Chilton’s move at ClariceStarling. Chilton is furious and Starling should be praised. Even though his comments were not illegal, they are the basis of the film’s judging of offences. Hannibal Lecter’s support is appreciated by viewers and her goal to advance in the FBI despite any discrimination.

Clarice Starling is first to meet Hannibal Lecter. He is a brilliant and incredibly skilled personality dissector. Starling refuses to cooperate once he realizes her sole purpose in profiling him. He then begins to read her every move and not answer her questions. He can see her desire to progress and her hopes for a better future. He clearly upsets her by his inability to understand her words, mannerisms and blatant refusal of cooperation. Clarice is confronted by “Multiple Miggs”, a prisoner who makes inappropriate comments and throws ejaculate in her faces. Lecter immediately notices the situation and runs back to his glass cell. Clarice is obviously bothered and agrees with Lecter to assist her in profiling Buffalo Bill. Clarice will be able to make rapid progress in her department. Lecter whispers into his cell during the night and the prisoner responsible for Clarice’s assault commits suicide. This scene reveals Lecter’s altered values and demonstrates his ability to communicate with words. It is an idea that a man would degrade a woman by killing and consuming victims without second thought that bothers Lecter.

This is the first step towards eliciting sympathy from the viewers. Clarice was already presented positively and has received degrading comments from viewers that have made them wary of anyone who acts against her. The film presents Hannibal Lecter, the decent character in the misogyny. This sets the stage for viewers to respect him. Just by his refusal to talk about misogyny, viewers can see that he is also opposed to Clarice’s discrimination. When this is confirmed, Lecter’s actions toward wrongdoers seem almost justified. The film’s order of introductions makes Lecter’s evil a bit more palatable. His way of thinking is dark and twisted, which allows him to serve as an “alternative aspect” of a greater good. He is a person who has certain values, even though they are not universal. They are nevertheless relevant. This film allows viewers to compare evils. The different moralities are what makes it easier for them to choose which is the lesser evil. Lecter is Clarice’s assistant in the capture of Gumb. He is, however, the lesser evil. It is not unusual for a true villain to help someone, even if it isn’t for the underlying benefit. Hannibal Lecter is a terrifying, violent, and murderous villain. He can also be a man and is capable of being poised, intelligent, and charismatic when necessary.

Jamey Heit, in his analysis of a perverse affiliation in “No Laughing Matter – The Joker and a Nitzschean Criticality of Morality”, is very similar to Aaron Taylor, but describes a man without moral values (Heit. 2011). Fans love the Dark Knight’s Joker (Heath Ledger), but his approach is different from Lecter. Heit presents Lecter’s claims that the entire paradigm of good and evil is flawed. Heit states that the Joker does not see any reason to follow any set of values and that his actions and consequences have no moral value (Heit 2011, 2011). Hannibal Lecter, despite the fact that his actions are criticized, is more open to this criticism of moral standards. While his values may have been altered, Lecter knows that their actions have consequences.

Villainy can be a complex subject that has many faces. Hannibal Lecter’s complexity is just one example. Characters with any moral standing can still be considered favorable if one is open to the possibility of their being questioned. It’s possible to see the evils of a villain in a poetic way, or as the lesser evil, when these fundamental Judeo-Christian concepts are reconstructed through the production of a movie or the character setting of a novel. Silence of the Lambs is Hannibal Lecter’s part. This man views the world differently than others and strives to eradicate all the evils everyone can commit.