Narrative Closure as Cultural Psychology: Colonial Paralysis in Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s Devdas

Srija Paul

Narrative Closure as Cultural Psychology: Colonial Paralysis in Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s Devdas

Author(s)	Ms. Srija Paul
Country	India
Abstract	Narrative closure is often interpreted as an aesthetic or authorial choice; however, such interpretations fail to account for systematic patterns in how stories conclude across different historical and cultural contexts. This paper argues that narrative closure reflects cultural psychology shaped by historical structure. Specifically, it introduces the concept of Colonial Paralysis to explain the tragic narrative closure of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s Devdas (1917). Colonial Paralysis refers to a collective psychological condition produced by prolonged institutional blockage, social rigidity, and political disempowerment under colonial rule. Through close textual analysis and cultural-historical interpretation, this study demonstrates that Devdas’s passive self-destruction is not merely an individual moral failure but a narrative expression of structural impossibility internalized at the cultural level. The tragic ending emerges as a culturally coherent resolution within a social environment where institutional pathways for overcoming class and caste barriers were severely restricted. To contextualize this argument, the paper briefly contrasts Devdas with the Korean narrative Chunhyangjeon, highlighting how narrative closure encodes culturally specific perceptions of possibility, agency, and justice.
Keywords	Narrative Closure, Cultural Psychology, Colonial Paralysis, Devdas, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, Cultural Narratology, Colonial India
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On	2026-02-24

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Narrative Closure as Cultural Psychology: Colonial Paralysis in Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s Devdas

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