Searching for a Personal Identity Capability in Narratives of Commitment in Fiction Literature

Sen’s work on commitment, rationality and social identity has given rise to an abundant literature. Building on Sen’s distinction of the fourth aspect of the self (a self able to scrutinize the reasons motivating her or his choices) and on Sen’s capability framework, Davis’ view of personal identity development hinges on a special capability, the personal identity capability. As people opt to develop this personal identity capability, they maintain an account of themselves in their interactions with others through evolving self-narratives. In this paper, I find evidence of this personal identity capability in two self-narratives of commitment in fiction literature, that of Signoles, the main character of one of Maupassant’s short stories, Coward, and that of Sethe, a character of Morrison’s novel Beloved. Although both of these narratives remain a claim without consequences for the future development of both characters’ capabilities, they exhibit the function Davis assigns them: providing an account of changes in their personal identity these individuals undergo following a commitment or a choice implied by a commitment.