The Human Skeleton in David Sedaris’s A Carnival of Snackery

What Is the Human Skeleton in the Diaries?

In the 2005 section of A Carnival of Snackery, David Sedaris recounts a specific, concrete object: a full human skeleton he spots at a Paris flea market. The stall owner claims it is very old and was used in a famous movie. Priced at two thousand euros, the skeleton is meant as a potential Christmas gift for Sedaris’s partner, Hugh Hamrick. Later that same day, Sedaris passes a second skeleton on rue Monsieur le Prince, remarking that it was “a pretty good town if you could see two skeletons in one day.” His reluctance to buy one stems not from moral qualms but from practical questions—“how do you wrap it?”—and a general unease about purchasing a human body, even a dead one.

This object is not merely a quirky anecdote; it becomes a touchstone for the book’s broader fixation on death, the body, and the macabre. Sedaris’s deadpan, humorous treatment of the skeleton sets the tone for how he handles mortality throughout the diaries.

Where the Skeleton Reappears

The skeleton itself does not reappear as a physical object—it is never purchased—but its symbolic echoes recur across later entries. In the 2011 chapter, Sedaris buys an eighteenth-century snuffbox carved in the shape of a French hunchback shitting, described by the dealer as “grotesque.” In 2015 he imagines a child’s coffin appearing on an airport baggage carousel, a startling and morbid fantasy. By 2019, he owns a woman’s head purchased in London, used as a bookend, and muses that she likely would not have wanted to end up that way. Each of these objects shares the skeleton’s quality of being a dead or bodily remnant that Sedaris acquires or covets for its dark curiosity.

The skeleton thus establishes a pattern: Sedaris is drawn to items that literalize death, decay, or bodily grotesquerie. These objects appear at moments when he is confronting his own aging, his father’s decline, or the absurdity of human existence.

How Its Meaning Shifts

In 2005, the skeleton is a whimsical, almost playful idea—a gift for Hugh that might amuse them both. Sedaris’s concern about wrapping it injects humor into an otherwise macabre purchase. By the time he owns a human head in 2019, his attitude has grown more matter-of-fact. He questions the ethics of the head’s provenance but ultimately keeps it, suggesting a deepening comfort with death as a collector’s item. The skeleton itself, never bought, stands at the threshold: it is the first instance where Sedaris seriously considers owning a piece of a human corpse. Later acquisitions show he crossed that line, shifting from contemplation to action. The meaning moves from a joke about mortality to a practiced acceptance of death as part of life’s weird furniture.

Connections to Themes and Characters

The skeleton ties directly to several central themes of the book:

Mortality and Aging: The skeleton is a literal memento mori. It appears in 2005, the same year Sedaris deals with his father’s criticism and the London bombings. Later, his father Lou’s failing health and his own cystoscopy in 2019 deepen this theme. The skeleton foreshadows these confrontations with death.
Humor as a Coping Mechanism: Sedaris’s joke about wrapping the skeleton defuses its horror. The same tactic recurs with the hunchback snuffbox and the coffin fantasy—laughter allows him to engage with the morbid without despair.
Cultural Absurdity: The flea market seller’s claim that the skeleton was in a famous movie highlights how death is commodified and trivialized. Sedaris’s own later purchase of a human head in London fits this pattern of treating human remains as curios.
Family Conflict: While not directly about the skeleton, Sedaris’s discussions with his father about death and aging in later chapters (like the 2017 phone call where Lou blames his mother’s drinking on lost looks) connect to the skeleton’s theme of bodily decay.

In terms of characters:

David Sedaris: His reluctant fascination with the skeleton shows his characteristic blend of curiosity and avoidance. He is drawn to the morbid but steps back with a joke, a pattern that defines his narrative voice.
Hugh Hamrick: Hugh is the one who wants the skeleton, revealing his own macabre humor. The couple’s shared interest in oddities (like the ridiculously oversized newsboy cap in 2015) strengthens their bond. Hugh’s desire for the skeleton underscores a partnership built on accepting each other’s peculiarities.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Sedaris hesitate to buy the skeleton, and what does his hesitation reveal about his attitude toward death?

Sedaris says his objection is not moral but practical: “how do you wrap it?” He also admits a general reluctance to “buy a human, even a dead one.” This hesitation shows that he can joke about death but still feels an underlying unease. The practical concern deflects the deeper discomfort, allowing him to distance himself from the reality of owning a corpse. Over time, as he later buys a human head, that unease fades, suggesting that familiarity with death numbs the initial shock.

2. How does the skeleton connect to other macabre objects in the diaries, such as the snuffbox and the human head?

All these objects share a focus on dead or grotesque aspects of the body. The snuffbox depicts a deformed figure shitting; the human head is a severed skull used as a bookend. Like the skeleton, each is a conversation piece that Sedaris acquires or fantasizes about. Collectively, they form a recurring motif of death as a source of dark humor and collector’s curiosity. The skeleton is the first instance, setting the pattern for later acquisitions.

3. What does the skeleton reveal about David Sedaris’s relationship with Hugh Hamrick?

Hugh is the one who asks for a human skeleton for Christmas. Sedaris considers buying it, which shows he is willing to indulge Hugh’s eccentric taste. The couple’s shared appreciation for the macabre—Hugh also wears the absurd newsboy cap without embarrassment—highlights a partnership built on mutual acceptance of oddities. The skeleton is a gift idea that would delight Hugh, suggesting their intimacy includes a shared dark sense of humor.

4. How does the skeleton relate to the broader theme of mortality in A Carnival of Snackery?

The skeleton functions as a physical reminder of death in a book where Sedaris increasingly confronts aging and loss. His father’s aphasia and eventual COVID diagnosis, his own cystoscopy, and the deaths of acquaintances like Madame Sheppers all underscore the theme. The skeleton’s presence in 2005 serves as an early signal that mortality will be a constant undercurrent. Sedaris’s later purchase of a human head shows how his relationship with death evolves from amused reluctance to outright ownership.

Conclusion

The human skeleton in A Carnival of Snackery is far more than a passing anecdote. It anchors Sedaris’s exploration of death, humor, and the grotesque, linking together a chain of macabre objects that appear throughout the diaries. By tracing the skeleton’s recurrence and its shifting meaning, readers gain insight into how Sedaris uses everyday oddities to grapple with life’s most unsettling truths. Whether he is joking about wrapping a skeleton or philosophizing over a severed head, his diaries remind us that the strangest objects often carry the deepest reflections.