The Moth
The Death’s-Head Moth is inextricably linked to the film due to its prominence in the movie poster. The symbolism seems simple enough since Lecter spells it out for us: “The significance of the moth is change. Caterpillar into chrysalis, or pupa, from thence into beauty. Our Billy wants to change, too." It is much more complex relative to the issues of transformation as it relates to Jame Gumb, however, on its most simplistic level it can be easily enough applied to Clarice who transforms from FBI cadet to tested and proven agent.
Starling
Much is made of the obvious symbolic association between Clarice’s last name and the bird which shares it, but many seem to overlook another symbolic interpretation of Starling. By the end of the film, Clarice’s transformation has turned into a rising star in the FBI with a future that many will be tracking closely. Just as a baby duck is called a duckling before it matures, so might a star in the early stages of development be termed a starling.
The Constraint of Hannibal Lecter
A dungeon complete with walls of stone. A zoo-like cage putting Lecter on display like a prized animal captured in the wild. Lecter in straitjacket held immobile by straps and with most of his face hidden behind a mask. The ways in which Lecter is imprisoned or constrained are so over the top that they can only be intended symbolism. Symbols of what? Of the tremendous power of the law enforcement authorities working at the federal level, obviously. The film is in one sense almost a love letter to the FBI; not since the days of J. Edger Hoover’s considerable influence over the portrayal of his agency has the FBI been presented in such a gloriously pristine manner.
The Lambs
The story Clarice shares with Lecter about the lambs is one of guilt at not being able to save them and being haunted by their screams. It is this guilt which drives her into law enforcement, and it is this drive which pushes her to the elite of the FBI. Sure, on a large scale, the lambs can be said to be symbols of innocence and sacrifice, but within the specific context of the story, the lambs represent nothing less than why Clarice is even in the story in the first place: her compulsion to save the innocent.
Night Vision
The climactic showdown between Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill) and Clarice is a symbolic acting out of criminal investigation. Law enforcement are always at a disadvantage relative to the criminal they pursue. The perpetrator is not exactly in the light himself, since can’t be “fully” aware of where the police are in their investigation. Nevertheless, he can see more than they can because he knows the truth of whatever criminal activity took place while the police even with all their sophisticated technology can ever only deduce the truth in theoretical terms; they cannot actually know what happened short of it being clearly and unambiguously caught on film. In which case, of course, it isn't the investigation which solves the case at all. The sequence which has Clarice stumbling in the dark while Gumb can see her without actually “seeing” her becomes a microcosm of the fundamental positioning between the pursuers and the pursued.
