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The Body Snatcher - background information

The Body Snatcher is a short story by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850�1894). First published in The Pall Mall Gazette in December 1884, its characters were based on criminals in the employ of real-life surgeon Robert Knox (1791�1862) around the time of the notorious Burke and Hare murders (1828).

Characters

Fettes an old, drunk Scottish man.

Macfarlane an old, wealthy doctor.

Jane Galbraith a woman whose corpse is brought into the anatomy department.

Gray a small and rude man. He is pale with coal-black eyes.

Mr. K the anatomy teacher and employer of Fettes and Macfarlane.

The landlord the landlord of the George Inn is a friend of Fettes, the undertaker, and the narrator.

The narrator is a friend of Fettes, the landlord, and the undertaker.

Richardson an anatomy student who is interested in dissecting a human head.

The ruffians Irish men who supply the anatomy department with corpses for dissection.

The undertaker a friend of Fettes, the landlord, and the narrator.

Themes

Morality in Science

"The Body-Snatcher" explores where scientists draw the line between being useful and being immoral. Some people believe that dissecting human bodies is immoral but choose to overlook it because of the benefits such scientific study has for human health. Anatomy teachers often found it difficult to obtain corpses for dissection in Stevenson's time. They were limited mostly to using prisoners' bodies because most people wanted their deceased family members to be properly buried instead of used for scientific purposes.

Guilt

It is evident that something is wrong with Fettes from Stevenson's initial description of him. This description states that he "for the greater part of his nightly visit to the George sat, with his glass in his right hand, in a state of melancholy alcoholic saturation." Fettes recognizes Macfarlane's name when the landlord says it and deviates from his usual quiet nature. The landlord observes that Macfarlane looks younger than Fettes, and Fettes comments on the difference between his guilt and Macfarlane's lack of guilt. He remarks, "This man, perhaps, may have an easy conscience and a good digestion."

Fear of Death

Many people are afraid of death, and Stevenson uses that fear in "The Body-Snatcher." Macfarlane and Fettes are around corpses on a daily basis in their work at the school. They are not afraid of the corpses, but this environment helps to set the mood for the end of the story.