The Influence of Subaltern Status on Celestinahami’s Fatalistic Suicide in Leonard Woolf’s “A Tale Told by Moonlight”

Abstract

This position paper explores the suicide of Celestinahamy in Leonard Woolf’s "A Tale Told by Moonlight," contextualising it as a fatalistic suicide as defined by Emile Durkheim. Fatalistic suicide occurs due to extreme societal regulation and oppression, which Celestinahamy, a former sex worker in colonial Ceylon, experiences intensely. The analysis employs suicidological and postcolonial theories to explore how Celestinahamy's subaltern status, characterized by exotification, romanticization, selective representation, dehumanization, and stereotyping, drives her to suicide. Leonard Woolf's narrative, influenced by his colonial experience, portrays Celestinahamy's tragic life and ultimate despair. The paper also argues that her inability to resist the oppressive colonial structures and her misrepresentation as an exotic 'other' led to her fatalistic suicide, echoing Durkheim's theory and highlighting the dire consequences of subaltern suppression and marginalization.