"First principles, Clarice. Simplicity. Of each particular thing, ask, what is it in itself? What is its nature?"
In this post, we'll look at how part of Lecter's statement to Starling in Memphis (the part in boldface in the caption above), can be interpreted within the context of certain verses from 1 Corinthians 12 in the bible. We first list these verses:
1. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.
9. [To one person is given] faith by the Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10. and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
14.[T]he body is not one member, but many...
21. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
22. On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary,
23. and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable...
27. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
28. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
Now consider the part of Lecter's statement to Clarice that reads, "Of each particular thing, ask, what is it in itself? What is its nature?"
Taking the sense organs mentioned in the above verses, and considering their various functions to be part of their respective natures, we answer that it is in the eye's nature to see, the ear's to hear, the nose's to smell... On the other hand, with regard to spiritual gifts, we could list these functions as follows: the eye (seeing) is for prophecy, the ear (hearing) is for the interpretation of tongues, the mouth is used for speaking in tongues, and touch, for healing.
But then, what gift does the sense of smell correspond to? The nose would seem to be the sense organ that "we deem less honorable" than the others - this is why Hannibal Lecter bestows "more abundant honor" upon it: in The Silence of the Lambs, Lecter initially uses his sense of smell in his coveting of Clarice Starling. For recall his statement to her during their first meeting: "Sometimes you wear L'Aire du Temps..." - if we pay careful attention to the way he says this, it sounds like he's also saying, "Sometimes you wear a leather t(h)ong..." The sexual aspect of that which he is smelling here indicates that he has, at this moment, begun to covet Clarice. Recall that Lecter later tells Clarice that it is in our nature to covet - "we covet what we see every day." Lecter covets what he 'smells', effectively every day - he relies on his memories of sense impressions of Starling, since he has such infrequent contact with her.
During her first meeting with Lecter, Starling averts her eyes (above left) while Hannibal (above right) describes what the scent coming from her, smells like to him.
This completes the 'abstract' analysis phase 2, which consists of parts 34-50.
