Dead Men Do Tell Tales Setting & Symbolism

Dead Men Do Tell Tales Objects/Places

Gainesville, Florida

The city where the University of Florida is based and where Maples spends his career.

Austin, Texas

Where Maples attends college at the University of Texas.

The Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii (CILHI)

The American military lab in Hawaii responsible for identifying the remains of war dead; Maples works there from time to time.

Maples's Laboratory

Maples's lab in Gainesville is one of the most sophisticated and respected in the country. Many of the stories in the book take place there.

Maples's Tools

Maples refers to a wide range of laboratory tools throughout the book.

A Retort

A cremation oven. Retorts are discussed in one of the chapters of the book and "cremains" are often a subject of analysis.

Bones

Maples's expertise is in the human skeleton, so bones are a staple of the book.

MIA Identification

MIAs or soldiers missing in action often are removed from the MIA list when remains are identified as theirs. Maples assists in these identifications.

Fire

Fire often burns bones severely and this...
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