Hannibal Essay, Research Paper

Hannibal, written by Thomas Harris, is a combination of a thriller and a mystery. From the first word that is read in this novel, until the last one, the suspense of Hannibal Lecter’s next victim or phrase is very entertaining.This book entails the struggle for a man to find true love, although he is fully deranged in every other aspect of his lifestyle. Fast cars, expensive wines, and fancy foods are what Dr. Lecter posess. However, all he wants is the returned love from the only woman who never treated him badly, Clarice Starling.

Clarice Starling, one of the main characters of this book, is a very noted FBI agent in Washington D.C. Clarice, having previously delt with the harsh evil of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, is currently undergoing a trial that will determind whether or not she will remain a steady federal employee. Hannibal Lecter, a jail escapee and a member of the FBI’s ten most wanted, is a very loyal lover of Clarice. Seven years ago, before Dr. Lecter escaped from the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Clarice Starling was investigating Lecter. In return for her own safety, and information concerning another criminal the FBI were tracking Clarice traded Lecter his safety. After escaping, Hannibal had only sent Clarice 2 letters. Now, 7 years later when Clarice has become a figure in the news, Hannibal Lecter has remembered Clarice. Once again, the crimes of Dr. Lecter are appearing in Florence, Italy. However, more than just the FBI is looking for him. Mason Verger, one of Hannibal Lecter’s former victims, is also looking to track down and torture Lecter the way that he was tormented himself. Mason Verger had been an old patient and friend of Dr. Lecter many years ago. Mason who is now paralyzed everywhere except one of his hands, not completely a sane man, was following Dr. Lecter’s instructions when he peeled off his facial skin, removed his nose and consumed it. Mason, planning for revenge was intending to feed Dr. Lecter to a pack of wild pigs who were trained to attack and eat anything that showed any struggle.

Upon Dr. Lecter’s return to the United States of America, he was a very low profile individual residing in Maryland. However, Lecter, statisfying his extravagant and elite taste still maintained to stock the most rare and expensive cars, wine and food. When Mason Verger learned of Lecter’s return, he organized a fool proof plan that would have Lecter delivered to him so that he could watch the doctor be tortured as pay back. Clarice Starling, although she was terrified of the doctor as much as any other FBI agent, was determined to find Dr. Lecter and have him placed in a hospital or jail where he could be administered drugs and therapy to help him. Because Clarice was never in direct danger from Hannibal, she had been the target for many questions and trials that involved Hannibal Lecter. After being tried for giving out information to the doctor, Clarice was suspended from all of her rights as an FBI agent. One night Lecter, having followed Clarice one evening to the supermarket, was shot with a pneumatic rifle loaded with heavy, fast acting tranqulizers and taken in the back of a van to Mason’s estate and farm in the countryside where the mad pigs were waiting for Lecter. Because Lecter was attempting to break into Clarice’s car, when he was shot, to leave her a surprise bottle of wine in celebration of her birthday, Clarice had seen the tail end of the kidnap and figured out that it was infact Hannibal Lecter that was kidnapped. Having some premenitions that Mason was planning to gain some twisted revenge upon Dr. Lecter, Clarice went out to Mason’s farm only to find that her premenitions were infact true. Although her firearms and badges were all taken away from her when she was suspended, she still had some pistols that were given to her from a late friend who had died in a street fight earlier in the year. Dr. Lecter was already tied to a forklift when clarice arrived at Mason Verger’s farm house. He was being lowered into the pin where the hungry and hollistic pigs were being kept. After Clarice arrived and stunned everyone in the barn who were aiding Mason’s revenge, Clarice helped Hannibal out of the nooses that were holding him to the legs of the forklift and handcuffed all the others. Although everyone in the clearing was under some sort of restraint at the time, there was one more person inside the barn. Attempting to shoot the doctor, Tommaso fired the tranqualizer dart and it hit Clarice in the back. Once again firing the pistol in attempt to hit Lecter, he hit Clarice in the shin, bending the arrow when it hit her bone. Carrying Clarice, Hannibal Lecter fleed to Clarice’s nearby parked car.

When Clarice awoke the next day, she found herself in a very awkard place. She awoke to find Dr. Lecter overlooking her while in a bed with fine sheets and blankets. She had been adminstered an IV to help drain the poisonous tranqualizing fluid from her body. She had been rescued and taken to Hannibal’s own home. Here, he had bought her many clothes and items that she would never have thought of owning before. Cocktail parties, and extravagant dinners accompanied by expensive wine was the norm of the Lecter house. Lecter treated Clarice with great care and love, as he had to no one before her. From then on, the missing Clarice Starling was always with the man who loved her, cared for her, and accompanied her to many elite functions around the world.

Many conflicts are shown in the characters of Hannibal. Clarice Starling undergoes a great conflict when she is under investigation for treason. She is suspected of providing governmental information to Hannibal Lecter that warns him of the dangers that he faced of being captured. Another conflict that Clalrice Starling faces is the fact that she has a lot to live up to. Clarice is an orphan who spent the later years of her life living in foster homes that did not care for her. Her father had died at his job when Clarice was very young, and her mother died later. She often found herself mad at the situation her father left her in. Life went from being wonderful and loving, to harsh and cold.

This book, Hannibal, is a very entertaining novel that keeps your interest all the way from the first word through to the last. I would definately recommend this book to any friend that is interested in mysteries, but not too offended by brutality. However, the creativeness that the author used in order to create such vivid and lifelike caracters is often what kept the story line interesting.

Hannibal is a well written book about a man who rests at almost nithing to seek out the woman who he is in love with. From murdereing a private detective hired to watch him to cooking a man’s brains for dinner, Hannibal Lecter makes a very intersting character to read about.