Fifty Shades Darker

“It’s very confusing being with you. You don’t want me to defy you, but then you like my smart mouth. You want obedience except when you don’t so you can punish me. I just don’t know which way is up when I am with you.”

Ana points out Christian’s hypocrisy. This line illustrates Ana’s willingness to challenge Christian’s control and power, which both frustrates and excites him.

“‘I have spent all my adult life trying to avoid any extreme emotion. Yet you…you bring out feelings in me that are completely alien. It’s very…’ He frowns, grasping for the word. ‘Unsettling. I like control, Ana, and around you that just’—he stands, his gaze intense— ‘evaporates.’”

Christian’s desire to have Ana in his life outweighs his desire for control. Christian’s ability to have a “normal” relationship is a central conflict in the book summed up in this quote.

“‘Not that I remember. She was neglectful. She didn’t protect me from her pimp.’ He snorts. ‘I think it was me who looked after her. When she finally killed herself, it took four days for someone to raise the alarm and find us.’”

As Christian describes his childhood, the author highlights Christian’s trauma. Overcoming this trauma and allowing himself to be vulnerable and risk love are central motivations for Christian’s actions in the novel. Here, he even takes responsibility for his mother, showing his need for control as inherent in him even before he is groomed by Elena.

“Jack’s voice is soft, and he’s standing too close. But I’ve noticed that he has a tendency to do so this with everyone, even at the office.”

Ana faces workplace discomfort that escalates over the course of the novel. She rationalizes Jack’s behavior both from self-preservation and self-doubt. She cannot believe he would go out of his way for her, and she does not want to cause conflict at her new job. This shows that Ana’s submissiveness is an inherent trait of hers upon which Christian capitalizes.

“So Leila wants back into Christian’s life and chooses a suicide attempt to attract his attention?”

Ana’s inability to empathize with Leila’s mental illness keeps her from taking Leila’s threats seriously. She thinks Leila seeks attention, rather than seeing her as a woman in emotional distress. Ana’s self-doubt limits her ability to commune with others in the same way Christian’s abuse has limited his.

“‘She was a bored trophy wife, Anastasia. Her husband was wealthy—big in timber.’ He gives me a wolfish grin. ‘He wouldn’t let her work. You know, he was controlling. Some men are like that.’ He gives me a quick sideways smile.”

Christian pokes fun at his own overbearing attitude. He acknowledges his own controlling behavior but sees no reason to change it. This statement foreshadows trouble down the road for Ana and Christian if they cannot overcome their foibles.

“And you’re right I am used to women doing exactly what I say, when I say, doing exactly what I want. It gets old. There’s something about you, Anastasia, which calls to me on some deep level I don’t understand. It’s a siren’s call. I can’t resist you, and I don’t want to lose you.”

This is Christian’s moment of self-knowledge and growth. Christian acknowledges his willingness to sacrifice control and the BDSM lifestyle to be with Ana. He begins to prioritize love and connection over sexual gratification.

“I don’t misuse the information. Anyone can get ahold of it if they have half a mind to, Anastasia. To have control, I need information. It’s how I’ve always operated.”

Christian wants to be in a romantic relationship with Ana, but he has myriad engrained behaviors that cause issues with this desire. Christian’s journey from controlling and distant to affectionate and accessible is his major character arc in the novel.

“But who wouldn’t go off the deep end? What normal, sane person would do that to a 15-year-old boy? How much has she contributed to his fucked-upness? I don’t understand her. And worse still, he says she helped him.”

Ana and Elena’s fight to be the most important woman in Christian’s life is the central conflict of the novel. Elena, the antagonist, groomed Christian to be her submissive. This conflict is central to the theme of The Importance of Consent in Intimate Relationships.

“I tug his denim jacket tighter around me, and I don’t know if the chill is emanating from within me or from outside. ‘I worry that, you know, that I’m not enough.’

‘You’re more than enough. For the love of God, Anastasia, what do I have to do?’”

Ana’s primary internal conflict is with her own self-doubt. She has difficulty trusting in Christian and their relationship because she is insecure in herself, and this self-doubt serves to push him away.

“It’s too much. I am overwhelmed by his trust in me—overwhelmed by his fear, by the damage done to this beautiful, fallen, flawed man.”

Ana wants to save Christian from his past. Christian’s role as the tragic hero reinforces Ana’s role as protagonist. Ana draws Christian out of his trauma-based patterns and into a loving relationship.

“Would I ever leave him again not that he’s admitted he loves me? I gaze into his clear gray eyes. Could I ever leave him again, no matter what he did to me? Could I betray him like that?

No. I don’t think I could.”

Ana’s desire to save Christian outweighs any concerns she may have about him and their relationship. Christian controls, rapes, and manipulates Ana, but she prioritizes his needs and satisfaction over her own safety.

“‘No, you don’t need to work for a living, and how do you know you’ll be fine?’ He’s almost shouting.

What does that mean? He’s going to support me? Oh, this is beyond ridiculous—I’ve known him for, what, five weeks?”

This quote illustrates Christian’s hypocrisy. He chastises Elena’s husband earlier for not letting Elena work. Then, Christian tells Ana that she should not work. He prioritizes control over Ana’s needs and autonomy.

“Anastasia, it’s not like that. I don’t like talking about this shit. I’ve lived in a bubble for years with nothing affecting me and not having to justify myself to anyone. She’s always been there as my confidante. And now my past and my future are colliding in a way I never thought possible.”

Elena established control over Christian with years of grooming and trauma-bonding. Christian wants to move on, but Ana wants him to confront and acknowledge the trauma.

“‘No,’ I whimper.

‘This is my revenge, Ana,’ he growls softly. ‘Argue with me and I am going to take it out on your body somehow.’”

This scene is central to the theme of consent throughout the novel. Ana tells Christian to stop, but Christian continues, using sex as a punishment for Ana’s refusing to follow Christian’s rules. Ana knows this is the dynamic, yet she remains in the relationship to continue to “fix” him as he moves beyond his past.

“‘You can’t go. Ana, I love you!’

‘I love you, too, Christian, it’s just—’

‘No. No.’ he says in desperation and puts both hands on his head.

‘Christian…’

‘No,’ he breathes, his eyes wide with panic, and suddenly he drops to his knees in front of me, head bowed, long-fingered hands spread out on his thighs. He takes a deep breath and doesn’t move.

What? ‘Christian, what are you doing?’

He continues to stare down, not looking at me.

‘Christian! What are you doing?’ My voice is high-pitched.

He doesn’t move.

‘Christian, look at me!’ I command in panic.

His head sweeps up without hesitation, and he regards me passively with his cool gray gaze—he’s almost serene…expectant.

Holy Fuck…Christian. The submissive.”

Christian submits to Ana, ceding his power and control to her. This turning point signals Christian’s prioritization of Ana over all other aspects of his life.

“I realize as I say these words to him—in the hope that he’s listening—what my real problem is. I just don’t get why he likes me. I have never understood why he likes me.”

Ana faces her own self-doubt and insecurity. She must accept that she is worthy of Christian’s love before she can be fully trusting of their relationship.

“‘I’m a sadist, Ana. I like to whip little brown-haired girls like you because you all look like the crack whore—my birth mother. I’m sure you can guess why.’ He says it all in a rush as if he’s had this sentence in his head for days and days and is desperate to be rid of it.”

Christian confesses his darkest desires to Ana, expecting her to leave him. Ana stays. She wants to save Christian from this darkness by teaching him to accept his trauma and take away its power.

“He smiles, and it’s a despotic fuck-you smile that finally touches his eyes. They glint in the harsh fluorescent glow of the strip lights above us in the drab windowless room. He takes a step toward me, glaring, his eyes never leaving mine. His pupils dilating as I watch—the black eclipsing the blue.”

James uses hyperbole, dramatic exaggeration, to underscore the terror of this moment. Jack’s pupils cannot literally eclipse his irises, but the predatory nature of the description heightens the impact of his actions.

“In a nutshell, he’s not a sadist, Ana. He’s an angry, frightened, brilliant young man who was dealt a shit hand of cards when he was born. We can all beat our breasts about it and analyze the who, the how, and the why to death—or Christian can move on and decide how he wants to live. He’d found something that worked for him for a few years, more or less, but since he met you, it no longer works. And as a consequence, he’s changing his modus operandi. You and I have to respect his choice and support him in it.”

Dr. Flynn encapsulates the author’s perspective on Christian’s ability to be in a loving relationship with Ana. A sadist outside the BDSM community wishes harm to others, whereas sadists within the BDSM community take pleasure in hurting their submissives, who consent and derive pleasure as well. Christian is not a true sadist. Christian now prioritizes Ana over his own desire for control and power.

“‘You’re so smart and witty and knowledgeable, competent in so many things. But most of all, I love you for what is in here.’ I press my palm against his chest, feeling his steady beating heart. ‘You are the most compassionate man I’ve met. What you do. How you work. It’s awe-inspiring.’”

Ana helps Christian see that being abandoned and abused as a child doesn’t affect his worth as a person. She teaches him that he is worthy of love.

“But I should wear what I like. I remember his rules. Yes, this must be hard for him, but he sure as hell paid for this dress […] I check the large mirror in the lobby. Damn. Yes it is quite short, but I’ve made a stand now. And no doubt I’ll have to face the consequences. I wonder idly what he’ll do.”

Ana’s defiance of Christian’s rules is a defining characteristic of their relationship. She acknowledges in this line that she knows there will be consequences, but the threat of the pain that marred their relationship at the end of the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, is gone.

“He steps back as if he’s been struck and gapes in disbelief. ‘You loved it Christian, don’t try to kid yourself. You were on the road to self-destruction, and I saved you from a life behind bars. Believe me, baby, that’s where you would have ended up. I taught you everything you know, everything you need.’

Christian blanches, staring at her in horror. When he speaks, his voice is low and incredulous. ‘You taught me how to fuck, Elena. But it’s empty, like you. No wonder Linc left.’

Bile rises in my mouth. I should not be here. But I’m frozen to the spot, morbidly fascinated as they eviscerate each other.

‘You never once held me,’ Christian whispers. ‘You never once said you loved me.’

She narrows her eyes. ‘Love is for fools, Christian.’”

Elena’s final confrontation with Ana and Christian demonstrates the roots of Christian’s long avoidance of loving relationships. Elena groomed him from 15 to prioritize sex over emotion and affection. Christian finally realizes the negative impact their relationship had on his life.