Fifty Shades of Truth, Shade 2

It's been a while since we've last spoken, but here we are again for Shade 2 of our Fifty Shades of Grey analysis. In order to avoid pissing anyone off, this post will contain spoilers, so if you're sensitive to spoilers, stop reading and come back later. I have finished the first two books in the original Fifty Shades Trilogy and I am finally ready to discuss them.

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For those of you who don't know, Ana and Christian share a complicated relationship. Christian and his "fifty shades of fucked up" are, at times, too much for young, naive Ana to handle. Tormented by demons of his youth, Christian is a character that fits several archetypes, but I would like to make case for him being a tragic hero. For my friends who read this and disagree, let me make my case, then we can talk. By definition, a tragic hero is a literary character who possess a tragic flaw that leads to their eventual demise. The staunch distinction here is that Christian recovers, something we don't see very often. To begin, Christian may not have been from noble beginnings like, let's say, Hamlet. Christian had a very harsh beginning; his mother was a "crack whore" and his stepdad(s) treated like a damn garbage can. This prompted his adoption to Grace and Carrick and his inevitable rise to fortune. There is one other person that we can credit his rise to, but we will get there. Back to Christian being a tragic hero; he has a tragic flaw. That tragic flaw is his suppression of childhood experiences. You may thinking to yourself, "Nic, you idiot," but I'm serious about this. This came crystal clear to me towards the end of the second book when Christian confesses that he is indeed a sadist because he enjoys inflicting pain on his subs because they look like his mother. Why does this correlate to his tragic flaw? Because, the infliction of pain is what caused Ana to leave him at the end of the first book. This all ties together because if Christian didn't have this tragic flaw, suppression of feelings, he wouldn't have to "beat" these women, thus Ana never would have left him. Now, it is obvious that she comes back in the following novel because she realizes that she loves this man, so I pose this question to my readers: If Ana never left, would we have the two other novels in the trilogy? My answer is no. Therefore, can it be said that this is even a tragic trait? I say yes, and here is why. When Ana left, it destroyed Christian. He says, in the second book, something to the extent that when she left, he had been reduced to nothingness. Now, this comes out in the second book, and a different chapter in their life together, if you will, but considering the fact that this book is part of a series, there is no reason that Christian's story has to start and stop with the first book. Christian Grey is a complex character that requires endless words to fully break down, but I will do my best in this post. So, we have discussed his upbringing, tragic flaw, and downfall, now, let us discuss audience sympathy.

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I will admit upfront that Christian Grey really pisses me off at some points. My colleagues can attest to this. At times, I will force myself to put the book down and go on an ear shattering rant about his density. Density, in this context, refers to the fact that he does not accept the fact that he is loved and cared for. That being said, reading him pour his guts to Ana about how broken he was made me emotional. Here is why. This is man who defines himself as "a husk of a man," or something like that. Maybe I'm just too empathetic, but here we have a man who was physically beaten for much of his young life and is tormented by those demons. I can't speak for anyone else, but I can't help but feel some sort of sympathy for him. If you can't, that's fine, but I'm just trying to make a case for him being a tragic hero. Considering the fact that he is in fact a tragic hero, it is only logical to make case for Christian's character following the Hero's Journey. His character, at least the first two books, follows the Hero's Journey.

You will notice the "supernatural aid" in the model on left. In my eyes, this is the only difference in between Christian and the typical hero. I'm not going to go through this whole journey, but it is worth noting that Christian follows this cycle pretty close, but not in the traditional sense of the idea. However, after taking some time to look back on this, I would argue that there is a "supernatural" aid in Christian's life. This aid being his own mind. After being abandoned by Ana at the end of book one, Christian comes to the realization that he in fact does not have to continue to lead this lifestyle. Why? Because he finally found someone who loves him for more than just the sex.

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It may seem weird for a guy to read these books and be this into them, but it is the story that appeals to me. Now, you might not believe me, but you should because I'm being honest. 50 Shades offers a great story line that is easy to follow and understand. Reading these books would offer a great escape for anyone looking for something new to read. You get a look into a different world that you may not be familiar with. That can be an exciting thing for readers because it allows us to imagine what living such a life would be like. Like I said before, I highly recommend these books for anybody interested in a new story.

For now,

Nic