Themes
The main theme of A Morbid Taste for Bones is the clash between the divine and the earthly worlds. The bones of Saint Winifred, physical relics which symbolise a connection to a spiritual realm, are quarrelled over in the most materialistic way. Brother Columbanus's spiritual visions are invented to further his worldly ambition "to be the youngest head under a bishop's mitre" and his unexpected disappearance is explained as a blessed translation into grace by the Prior.