Rosuell F.

Macasaet

BSED

Critical Analysis

I. Introduction
a. The work being criticized
i. Title of selection: Fifty Shades of Grey
ii. Author: E. L. James (Erika Mitchell)
iii. Genre: Fiction, Erotic Romance, Love
iv. Setting: Seattle and the surrounding region of the Pacific Northwest, in May and
June 2011.
v. Historical context: The original version of Fifty Shades of Grey, as well as the
sequels, was based on a Twilight fanfiction series called Master of the Universe,
which was written by James under the username "Showqueens Icedragon" and
released in episodes on fan-fiction websites. However, James pulled the tale from
the websites and posted it on her website, FiftyShades.com, after people voiced
their worries over the narrative's sexual undertones. Anastacia Steele and
Christian Grey were given new names by James when he subsequently rewrote
Master of the Universe as an original work.
vi. Characters:
 Protagonist
 Anastasia "Ana" Steele, a 21-year-old English Literature student
attending Washington State University.
 Christian Grey, a 27-year-old billionaire, entrepreneur, and CEO
of Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.
 Antagonist
 Christian’s obsession with dominance and his refusal to engage
in emotional intimacy.
 Other characters
 Katherine "Kate" Kavanagh, Anastasia's best friend/roommate
who begins a relationship with Christian's older brother, Elliot
Grey.
 Carla Wilks, Anastasia's mother.
 Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey, Christian Grey's adoptive mother.
 Jose Rodriguez, one of Anastasia's close friends.
 Elliot Grey, Christian's adopted older brother.
 Mia Grey, Christian's adopted younger sister.
 Jason Taylor, Christian's bodyguard and head of his security.
 Ray Steele, Anastasia's father.
 Carrick Grey, Christian's adoptive father.
 Bob Adams, Anastasia's stepfather.
 Paul Clayton, the brother of the owner of Clayton's Hardware
Store.
 Andrea, Christian's assistant
vii. Tone
 The story uses a tense tone for the most part as Ana constantly finds
herself intense situations with Christian. Though the novel features
moments of excitement, the mood throughout a large portion of the
story is sensual and tense.
viii. Point of view
 Fifty Shades of Grey’ employs the first-person perspective as Anja serves
as the narrator.
ix. Figurative Language
 Simile
 "He comes bounding into the shop like a gamboling dark-eyed
puppy" (pg. 182)
 "His voice is warm and husky like dark melted chocolate fudge
caramel" (pg. 25)
 "I am quaking like a leaf" (pg. 111)
 Metaphor
 "His words are like some kind of incendiary device; my blood
flames"
 "The more girly I look perhaps the safer I'll be from Bluebeard"
(pg. 126)
 Foreshadowing
 One day, Christian Grey appears at the hardware store where
Anastasia Steele works, and buys cable ties, tape, rope, and two
overalls. His purchases are a part of the foreshadowing, where
the author hints at the fact that Christian is fond of BDSM.
 Irony
 Christian's Discovery of Ana's Virginity (Dramatic Irony)
When Christian presents Ana with a lengthy list of sexual
acts and asks her to identify which ones she is
comfortable with. Readers are aware that Ana doesn't
yet know what she likes, but Christian is not aware of
this. He assumes she is much more worldly and
experienced than she actually is.
 Christian's Gift of Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Situational Irony)
Early on in their relationship, Christian buys Ana an
expensive gift: a first edition of the Thomas Hardy
novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles. The gift is ironic if
someone is familiar with the plot of Hardy's novel. In that
story, Tess is seduced and eventually raped by a wealthy
and powerful man. As a result of that event, a series of
tragic events unfold, ending in her death. Ana sees the
gift as a romantic gesture, which, on the surface, it is.
However, there is also an ironic warning which she
refuses to see. The novel should make Ana more aware
 of the dark potential of pursuing a relationship with
Christian, but instead she simply interprets it as a
thoughtful gift.
 Christian's Initiation into BDSM (Situational Irony)
Ana assumes that because of Christian's strong and
domineering personality, he has always been a
dominant. Ironically, Christian actually began by acting as
a submissive to Mrs. Robinson. This event runs counter
to what a reader has been expecting based on the
information and based on how he treats Ana. The fact
that Christian has been a submissive in the past is ironic
given that he finds it almost impossible to understand
why Ana is sometimes frightened and overwhelmed. It
makes him more likely to assume that she can cope with
whatever he gives to her.
 Ana's Final Surrender (Situational Irony)
At the end of the novel, Ana asks Christian to show her
the worst pain he is capable of inflicting. She hopes that
this experience will make her less afraid of him, because
she will have seen the worst that could happen.
Ironically, the outcome is the exact opposite: Ana ends
up horrified and repulsed by the pain Christian inflicts.
She thought she wanted to see the full truth of what he
is capable of, but this knowledge rips them apart rather
than brings them together.
 Imagery
 Christian’s Office
The imagery of Christian's office hints at his personality
and character. Just like the space, he is visually striking
and unforgettable. At the same time, he is cold and
opaque, and it is challenging to get a sense of who he
actually is.
 Red Room
The imagery of the red room gives an impression of both
pleasure and a sense of sinister foreboding. Red is
traditionally the color of passion, but also pain and
suffering. The vivid imagery with which the room is
described reflects Ana's intense emotional reaction
when she enters the space. It also prefaces the intense
sensations of both pleasure and pain which she will
experience within this space.
 Christian and Ana's Dinner
The imagery is used to convey how intense the attraction
is between the two: whenever she is around him, all of
 Ana's senses are heightened, and she feels everything
more acutely. The dinner is a moment when Ana tests
the limits of her power by deliberately teasing Christian,
and then refusing to spend the night with him. The
imagery conveys the tension and desire that both of
them are experiencing.
 Christian and Ana's Lovemaking
Throughout the novel, Christian and Ana's sexual
encounters are described using vivid imagery. Fifty
Shades is a blatantly erotic novel which is designed to
stimulate a reader's arousal, and the use of imagery is
what allows this to happen.
b. Despite the fact that the story is presented as erotic love story, I do believe that this story
has nothing to do with love at all, my hypothesis is Christian Grey and a cult recruiter are
using the same method in order to catch their prey.
c. In order to prove my hypothesis, I will going to compare the Actions of Christian Grey in
the novel to the steps of indoctrination that cult use in order to gather members.
II. Short summary of the work
a. Exposition
i. In Washington, the shy and naive English literature college student Anastasia
“Ana” Steele lives with her best friend Katherine who writes for their college’s
student paper. Due to illness, Katherine asks Ana to take her place and interview
with a rich entrepreneur named Christian Grey.
b. Rising action
i. The next day Ana, Katherine, and Jose go to see Mr. Grey; after the photoshoot,
Mr. Grey asks Ana out for a date. They go for coffee and Mr. Grey asks about her
family and if she is dating. They hit it off, but Ana believes that she is not good
enough for Mr. Grey, despite her friends’ encouragement.

After her finals, Ana receives a mysterious package from Mr. Gray containing Tess
of the d’Urbervilles. Later that night Ana drunk dials Mr. Grey, who promptly
informs her that he is going to pick her up. Her friend, Jose, attempts to kiss her
but is stopped by Mr. Grey’s arrival.
c. Climax
i. Anastasia goes on another date with Mr. Grey where he takes her in his
penthouse using his private helicopter. Once there, Grey asks her to sign a non-
disclosure, which she agrees to sign. He then takes her to a room of BDSM toys
and gear. Mr. Grey asks her for a contract which entails a dominance and
submission clause; that will be a purely sexual relationship with no emotional
involvement. Then they have sex and Mr. Grey takes Ana’s virginity.

Ana receives several packages from Mr. Grey over the next couple of days. Such
gifts include a laptop and a detailed version of the dominant/submissive contract.
 They exchange several emailing, flirting, and teasing each other about their new
arrangement.
d. Ending
i. Christian surprises Ana by showing up in Georgia, and they spend the night and
following day together. While in Georgia, Ana learns she got a job at Seattle
Independent Publishing. Christian has his driver Taylor pick up Ana from the
airport when she lands back in Seattle. Ana remains uncertain about whether she
should stay in a relationship based on control and power when she wants genuine
intimacy and closeness. Ana tells Christian she wants to know how bad the
physical pain can get, and Christian hits her with his belt six times. She
understands she can never be who he needs, and he will never be who she needs.
Realizing the relationship is over, she cries as Taylor drives her home.
III. Argument
a. The audience saw this novel as a romantic novel that tells a Cinderella story of how an
ordinary girl manage to be with a good-looking 27 year old billionaire. However Christian
Grey, despite being a successful businessman owning expensive cars, a helicopter, and a
million-dollar penthouses implements a pattern of behavior that is beyond bad.
Throughout the movie, Christian engages in what’s known as “Thought Reform” or most
commonly known as indoctrination in order to seduce Anastasia Steele, he follows the
exact steps that cults are using to brainwash innocent people to join their group and
perform acts that are normally impossible for them to do such as killing other innocent
people or children as sacrifice for their God, taking their own life by drinking poison and
many other unthinkable acts, the only difference is Christian Grey do not want to see
Anastasia ending her own life, what he want is for her to be submissive to his every whim
in and out of bed.

Thought reform is a kind of indoctrination, it is defines as “a series of manipulative

techniques used to get people to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do”. Researchers
generally agree that those who are most susceptible are those who are ignorant,
unassertive, gullible, and lack self-confidence, all traits that Anastasia display when she
first met Christian Grey. On the other hand, Cristian explicitly states that he knows how
to manipulate people, stating “I’ve always been good at people. What motivates them,
what incentivizes them, what inspires them”. With this, the novel presented us with a
young unconfident girl being courted by an older confident billionaire, the power dynamic
of indoctrination can be seen immediately, which means we need to look at the steps the
cult is using as they indoctrinate new members.

There’s an eight-step psychological process in indoctrination, the general philosophy is

built on getting your target to get into the habit of saying yes, the first is a small harmless
things which gradually become bigger, more extreme things. The steps are as follows:
1. The cult recruiter gets the target to say “yes” to a non-threatening event.
 The early yes of Anastasia are:
i. Takes the offer of the pencil in the interview.
ii. Takes the business card at the hardware store.
 iii. Agree to have coffee with Christian for the first time.
2. Love-booming, this is when the cult showers attention, praise and even gifts on
the target creating a positive association between the cult and feeling good.
 Starting in the coffee shop, Christian shows interest in her life.
i. Asking about her family
ii. Giving her food
iii. A signed first edition books of her favorite author, a very
expensive gift.
iv. New clothes, laptop, and car.
3. Dangling “The Price” in front of you, the prize vary, from happiness to a sense of
community and purpose.
 In the story, the prize is obviously Christian, his love, time and effort.
 Christian almost kisses her twice: The first happened after they leave the
coffee shop, he saves her from getting hit in the street by a bicycle. The
second was after he rescues her after a night of drinking in a club.
 In both occasions, he lingers, saying things like “I should let you go”, he
tempt her but refuses to give her the kiss that she clearly wants. Dangling
the prize out of her reach.
4. Extracting an agreement that you want the prize, after introducing the prize, they
get you to agree that you want it.
 After the second denial, he became more direct saying “I like to bite that
lip” and Anastasia finally responded “I think I like that too”.
 After he make Anastasia agree that she wants the prize, he bring up the
contract saying “not until I have your written consent”
 After he mention the contract, he kisses her passionately like he can’t
control his urges, majority of the audience of the novel thinks that this is
the proof that Christian have some feelings for her. However, I think this
is another calculated move because he clearly stated at the beginning of
the story that he can control every aspect of his life.
 After this, Christian move the love-bombing to the next level by using a
helicopter ride to his private top floor penthouse, with this the prize is
not just Christian but also a driver, private flights and a million-dollar
penthouse.
 After he present all benefits of being with him, he present a non-
disclosure agreement that she sign without hesitation.
 And then and only then he shows her the red room, containing every sex
toy one can imagine such as handcuffs, whips, blindfold, belt, and many
other. With this in front of Anastasia, she is now hesitant about the
relationship.
5. Shutting down your dissent by threatening to withhold the prize. By this point,
the sell becomes a little harder. You'll be encouraged to do things that you might
rather not, like devote more of your time to the group, start recruiting for them,
pay for expensive programs or study materials, or adopt more extreme
 beliefs. When you show any resistance, they simply threaten you that you'll never
attain the prize if you keep up that kind of attitude.
 After seeing the red room, she asked “what if I don’t want to do anything
with that?” and he threatened her by withholding everything that he
shows her, the driver, the private ride, the penthouse, and last but not
the least, he himself.
 At this point Anastasia is still a virgin, and when Christian finds out that
this is the case, he had sex with her, he pleasures her even after the fact
that he is not interested in him giving pleasure to others, what he want is
they pleasure him.
6. Establishment of guilt, in this step, when the target is in the door and about to
leave or reject the cult, what do they do to prevent you in doing so? They shame
you, making you feel guilty for not appreciating the cult, its leaders or its beliefs.
 In the story, Christian makes Anastasia feel guilty by saying thing like:
i. I’ve never taken anyone in the helicopter.
ii. I’ve never had sex in my own bed.
 He tells her this for her to feel that she is special by receiving things
and/or treatment because no other receive this before.
 In addition, Christian tells her his sad story, the story on how he become
a submissive at the age of 15 in the hands of his step mother’s friend.
 All of these is done so Anastasia will feel guilty for not appreciating his
taste and his attitude towards sexual relationship.
7. The carrot and the stick. Behavior is reinforced by rewarding "good" behavior and
punishing "bad" behavior.
 After he reveals the red room to Anastasia, Christian stated “I have rules.
If you follow them, I’ll reward you. If you don’t, I’ll punish you.”
 In psychology, this is called operant conditioning, this is the use of reward
and punishment to promote one behavior over another.
 In the story there is one event where Christian spank Anastasia because
she rise her eyebrows on him.
 In another event, he treats her special because she is being obedient.
8. Controlling the recruits identity, information, and environment. Once a recruit is
firmly in, other techniques can be added to keep them in. One of the most
powerful is getting members to disassociate from the previous family and friends.
 In the novel, there are few instances where Cristian instruct Anastasia to
eat and drink something (probably contraceptives).
 Anastasia’s schedule is also dictated by Christian, like she needs to be in
the penthouse from Friday to Sunday.
 The contract also stated that she only eat the food from a list provided
by him.
 She also instructed her to wait for him with her hair in ponytail while
kneeling by the door.
 And finally, when she distance herself for a valid reason, she needs to
clear her head, Christian knows where to find her, he even shows himself
 uninvited and unannounced showing that you can’t hide from him as long
as the contract is in effect.

With all of these as my evidence to support my claim, I can safely say that all evidence
that can find in the novel clearly pointed to how the actions Christian Gray is similar to
how a cult recruits its members, all of the eight step of indoctrination is followed by
Christian from start to finish and can be seen clearly in the novel as I laid out the specific
lines and events happened in the novel. Additionally, I can safely state that in the novel
fifty shades of Grey, Christian didn’t display any emotions resembling love towards
Anastasia Steele. The love and affection that the majority of the audience saw between
Christian and Anastasia is nothing but an illusion created by misunderstanding the novel
itself, even Anastasia stated this in chapter 24, page 472 that “The BDSM is a distraction
from the real issue. The sex is amazing, he's wealthy, he's beautiful, but all that is
meaningless without his love and the real heart-fail is that I don't know if he's capable of
love. He doesn't even love himself”.

IV. Conclusion
a. At the end of the day, all of the things that I write in this critique paper is my own opinion
and understanding of the material, I cannot force anyone to believe all the things that I
have written, but still, as a reader, I can’t help but notice all the similarities of Christian’s
action to those of how the cult recruit their members. As I examine the material, I can’t
deny the similarities and I can’t also deny that maybe, it’s all just a coincidence, that all of
his action in the novel when it comes to how he approach Anastasia is similar to that of a
cult. The interpretation of any literary piece are and will always be based on the audience
who reads the material and having more than one interpretation are unavoidable.