Self-Affirmation through Death: Contribution to the Sociology of Suicide through Literature

This study contributes to the sociological study of suicide via an exploration of the implications and application of literary texts in sociological analysis. The examination of two pairs of literary texts suggests that some cases of suicide can be self-affirming. When the characters find themselves in circumstances that threaten their perception of who they are in their social contexts, they may choose the possibility of death over life with a change in self-concept. The interpretation of the four selected narrative cases of selfaffirmative suicide is nestled in complexities of self-identity: two from The Iliad by Homer, and one each from Andorra and I’m Not Stiller by Max Frisch. Relating the findings to Turner’s theory of impulsive versus institutional loci of real self, the article argues that institutionally constituted characters are more likely than impulsive-selves to find self-killing an acceptable resolution to their crises of identity. The findings are discussed in relation to classic theory in the sociology of suicide, concepts of the real self, and the use of literature in social science research.