Clarice Starling is the protagonist of The Silence of the Lambs. She is a student at the FBI Academy in Quantico who becomes a temporary agent in the investigation of Buffalo Bill. Clarice is a top student at the Academy—extremely adept in practical fields like forensics and gun firing—but her determination to solve the Buffalo Bill case threatens her status in the school. Clarice sacrifices her free time to work for Crawford and follow up on leads, and willingly accepts that she will be recycled through the Academy for her extracurricular efforts. One of Clarice’s biggest fears is being seen as tacky and useless; she puts in extra effort to prove to others that she deserves to be included. The fear that she won’t be able to help Buffalo Bill’s victims torments her through dreams of screaming lambs. Despite her fears, Lecter comments that Clarice has admirable mental strength.

Outwardly, Clarice tries to remain professional, even when belittled, harassed, or negatively stereotyped, but the narrative reveals that she is quick to anger. Harris shows Clarice curse at, threaten, and make up crude nicknames for those who upset her to relieve her temper, like when she calls Chilton “Dr.