Fifty Shades of Grey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the novel. For its film adaptation, see Fifty Shades of Grey (film). For the novel
series, see Fifty Shades trilogy.

Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It is the first instalment in
the Fifty Shades trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a
young business magnate, Christian Grey. It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes featuring elements of sexual
practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM). Originally self-
published as an ebook and a print-on-demand, publishing rights were acquired by Vintage Books in March 2012.
Fifty Shades of Grey has topped best-seller lists around the world, selling over 125 million copies worldwide by June
2015. It has been translated into 52 languages, and set a record in the United Kingdom as the fastest-selling
paperback of all time. Critical reception of the book, however, has tended towards the negative, with the quality of its
prose generally seen as poor. Universal Pictures and Focus Features produced a film adaptation, which was
released on 13 February 2015[1] and also received generally unfavourable reviews.
The second and third volumes of the trilogy, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, were published in
2012. Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, a version of Fifty Shades of Grey being told from Christian's
point of view, was published in June 2015.

Plot
Anastasia "Ana" Steele is a 21-year-old college senior attending Washington State University in Vancouver,
Washington. Her best friend is Katherine "Kate" Kavanagh, who writes for the college newspaper. Due to an illness,
Kate is unable to interview 27-year-old Christian Grey, a successful and wealthy Seattle entrepreneur, and asks Ana
to take her place. Ana finds Christian attractive as well as intimidating. As a result, she stumbles through the interview
and leaves Christian's office believing it went poorly. Ana does not expect to meet Christian again, but he appears at
the hardware store where she works. While he purchases various items including cable ties, masking tape, and rope,
Ana informs Christian that Kate would like some photographs to illustrate her article about him. Christian gives Ana
his phone number. Later, Kate urges Ana to call Christian and arrange a photo shoot with their photographer friend,
Jos Rodriguez.
The next day Jos, Kate, and Ana arrive for the photo shoot at the Heathman Hotel, where Christian is staying.
Christian asks Ana out for coffee and asks if she's dating anyone, specifically Jos. Ana replies that she is not dating
anyone. During the conversation, Ana learns that Christian is also single, but he says he is no romantic. Ana is
intrigued but believes she is not attractive enough for Christian. Later, Ana receives a package from Christian
containing first edition copies of Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which stuns her. Later that night, Ana goes out drinking with
her friends and ends up drunk dialling Christian, who informs her that he will be coming to pick her up because of her
inebriated state. Ana goes outside to get some fresh air, and Jos attempts to kiss her, but he is stopped by
Christian's arrival. Ana leaves with Christian, but not before she discovers that Kate has been flirting with Christian's
brother, Elliot. Later, Ana wakes to find herself in Christian's hotel room, where he scolds her for not taking proper
care of herself. Christian then reveals that he would like to have sex with her. He initially says that Ana will first have
to fill out paperwork, but later goes back on this statement after making out with her in the elevator.
Ana goes on a date with Christian, on which he takes her in his helicopter, Charlie Tango, to his apartment. Once
there, Christian insists that she sign a non-disclosure agreement forbidding her from discussing anything they do
together, which Ana agrees to sign. He also mentions other paperwork, but first takes her to his playroom full
of BDSM toys and gear. There, Christian informs her that the second contract will be one of dominance and
submission, and there will be no romantic relationship, only a sexual one. The contract even forbids Ana from
touching Christian or making eye contact with him. At this point, Christian realises that Ana is a virgin and agrees to
take her virginity without making her sign the contract. The two then have sex. The following morning, Ana and
Christian again have sex. His mother arrives moments after their sexual encounter and is surprised by the meeting,
having previously thought Christian was homosexual, because he was never seen with a woman. Christian later
takes Ana out to eat, and he reveals that he lost his virginity at age 15 to one of his mother's friends, Elena Lincoln,
and that his previous dominant/submissive relationships failed due to incompatibility. Christian also reveals that in his
first dominant/submissive relationship he was the submissive. Christian and Ana plan to meet again, and he takes
Ana home, where she discovers several job offers and admits to Kate that she and Christian had sex.
Over the next few days, Ana receives several packages from Christian. These include a laptop to enable her to
research the BDSM lifestyle in consideration of the contract; to communicate with him, since she has never
previously owned a computer; and to receive a more detailed version of the dominant/submissive contract. She and
Christian email each other, with Ana teasing him and refusing to honour parts of the contract, such as only eating
foods from a specific list. Ana later meets with Christian to discuss the contract and becomes overwhelmed by the
potential BDSM arrangement and the potential of having a sexual relationship with Christian that is not romantic in
nature. Because of these feelings, Ana runs away from Christian and does not see him again until her college
graduation, where he is a guest speaker. During this time, Ana agrees to sign the dominant/submissive contract. Ana
and Christian once again meet to further discuss the contract, and they go over Ana's hard and soft limits. Christian
spanks Ana for the first time, and the experience leaves her both enticed and slightly confused. This confusion is
exacerbated by Christian's lavish gifts and the fact that he brings her to meet his family. The two continue with the
arrangement without Ana's having yet signed the contract. After successfully landing a job with Seattle Independent
Publishing (SIP), Ana further bristles under the restrictions of the non-disclosure agreement and her complex
relationship with Christian. The tension between Ana and Christian eventually comes to a head after Ana asks
Christian to punish her in order to show her how extreme a BDSM relationship with him could be. Christian fulfils
Ana's request, beating her with a belt, and Ana realises they are incompatible. Devastated, she leaves Christian and
returns to the apartment she shares with Kate.

Background and publication

The Fifty Shades trilogy was developed from a Twilight fan fiction series originally titled Master of the Universe and
published episodically on fan-fiction websites under the pen name "Snowqueen's Icedragon". The piece featured
characters named after Stephenie Meyer's characters in Twilight, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. After comments
concerning the sexual nature of the material, James removed the story from the fan-fiction websites and published it
on her own website, FiftyShades.com. Later she rewrote Master of the Universe as an original piece, with the
principal characters renamed Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele and removed it from her website before
publication.[2] Meyer commented on the series, saying "that's really not my genre, not my thing ... Good on hershe's
doing well. That's great!"[3]
This reworked and extended version of Master of the Universe was split into three parts. The first, titled Fifty Shades
of Grey, was released as an e-book and a print on demandpaperback in May 2011 by The Writers' Coffee Shop, a
virtual publisher based in Australia.[4][5] The second volume, Fifty Shades Darker, was released in September 2011;
and the third, Fifty Shades Freed, followed in January 2012. The Writers' Coffee Shop had a restricted marketing
budget and relied largely on book blogs for early publicity, but sales of the novel were boosted by word-of-mouth
recommendation. The book's erotic nature and perceived demographic of its fan base as being composed largely of
married women over thirty led to the book being dubbed "Mommy Porn" by some news agencies. [6][7] The book has
also reportedly been popular among teenage girls and college women. [7][8][9] By the release of the final volume in
January 2012, news networks in the United States had begun to report on the Fifty Shades trilogy as an example
of viral marketing and of the rise in popularity of female erotica, attributing its success to the discreet nature of e-
reading devices.[10][11] Due to the heightened interest in the series, the license to the Fifty Shadestrilogy was picked up
by Vintage Books for re-release in a new and revised edition in April 2012.[12][13] The attention that the series has
garnered has also helped to spark a renewed interest in erotic literature. Many other erotic works quickly
became best-sellers following Fifty Shade's success, while other popular works, such as Anne Rice's The Sleeping
Beauty trilogy, have been reissued (this time without pseudonyms) to meet the higher demand. [14]
On 1 August 2012, Amazon UK announced that it had sold more copies of Fifty Shades of Grey than it had the
entire Harry Potter series combined, making E. L. James its best-selling author, replacing J. K. Rowling, though
worldwide the Harry Potter series sold more than 450 million copies compared with Fifty Shades of Grey's sales of 60
million copies.[15]

Issues
In April 2012, when E. L. James was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the
World",[16] Richard Lawson of The Atlantic Wire criticised her inclusion due to the trilogy's fan fiction beginnings.[17]
In November 2012, Universal Studios attempted to prevent the release of Fifty Shades of Grey: A XXX Adaptation, a
pornographic film based on the novel, citing copyright and trademark infringement. Smash Pictures, the porn
producer, later responded to the lawsuit with a counterclaim that "much or all" of the Fifty Shades material was placed
in the public domain in its original Twilight-based form,[18] but later capitulated and stopped production of their film.[19]
Themes
Depiction of BDSM
Fifty Shades of Grey has attracted criticism due to its depictions of BDSM, with some BDSM participants stating that
the book confuses BDSM with abuse and presents it as a pathology to be overcome, as well as showing incorrect
and possibly dangerous BDSM techniques.[20][21]
Coinciding with the release of the book and its surprising popularity, injuries related to BDSM and sex toy use spiked
dramatically. In 2012, the year after the book was published, injuries requiring Emergency Room visits increased by
over 50% from 2010 (the year before the book was published). This is speculated to be due to people unfamiliar with
both the proper use of these toys and the safe practice of bondage and other "kinky" sexual fetishes attempting what
they had read in the book.[22]
There has also been criticism against the fact that BDSM is part of the book. Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati
said in an early February 2015 letter, "The story line is presented as a romance; however, the underlying theme is
that bondage, dominance, and sadomasochism are normal and pleasurable." [23] The feminist anti-
pornography organisation Stop Porn Culture called for a boycott of the movie based on the book because of its sex
scenes involving bondage and violence.[24] By contrast, Timothy Laurie and Jessica Kean argue that "film fleshes out
an otherwise legalistic concept like 'consent' into a living, breathing, and at times, uncomfortable interpersonal
experience," and "dramatises the dangers of unequal negotiation and the practical complexity of identifying one's
limits and having them respected."[25]

Glorification of abusive relationships

Several critics and scientists have expressed concern that the nature of the main couple's relationship is not BDSM at
all, but rather is characteristic of an abusive relationship. In 2013, social scientist Professor Amy E. Bonomi published
a study wherein the books were read by multiple professionals and assessed for characteristics of intimate partner
violence, or IPV, using the CDC's standards for emotional abuse and sexual violence. The study found that nearly
every interaction between Ana and Christian was emotionally abusive in nature, including stalking, intimidation, and
isolation. The study group also observed pervasive sexual violence within the CDC's definition, including Christian's
use of alcohol to circumvent Ana's ability to consent, and that Ana exhibits classic signs of an abused woman,
including constant perceived threat, stressful managing, and altered identity. [26][27]
A second study in 2014 was conducted to examine the health of women who had read the series, compared with a
control group that had never read any part of the novels. The results showed a correlation between having read at
least the first book and exhibiting signs of an eating disorder, having romantic partners that were emotionally abusive
and/or engaged in stalking behaviour, engaging in binge drinking in the last month, and having 5 or more sexual
partners before age 24. The authors could not conclude whether women already experiencing these "problems" were
drawn to the series, or if the series influenced these behaviours to occur after reading by creating underlying
context.[28] The study's lead researcher contends that the books romanticise dangerous behaviour and "perpetuate
dangerous abuse standards."[29] The study was limited in that only women up to age 24 were studied, and no
distinction was made among the reader sample between women who enjoyed the series and those that had a strong
negative opinion of it, having only read it out of curiosity due to the media hype or other obligation.[30]
At the beginning of the media hype, Dr. Drew and sexologist Logan Levkoff discussed on The Today Show[31] whether
the book perpetuated violence against women; Levkoff said that while that is an important subject, this trilogy had
nothing to do with it this was a book about a consensual relationship. Dr. Drew commented that the book was
"horribly written" in addition to being "disturbing" but stated that "if the book enhances women's real-life sex lives and
intimacy, so be it."[32]

Reception
Fifty Shades of Grey has topped best-seller lists around the world, including those of the United Kingdom and the
United States.[33][34] The series had sold over 125 million copies worldwide by June 2015 and has been translated into
52 languages,[35][36] and set a record in the United Kingdom as the fastest-selling paperback of all time.[37] It has
received mixed to negative reviews, with most critics noting poor literary qualities of the work. Salman Rushdie said
about the book: "I've never read anything so badly written that got published. It made Twilight look like War and
Peace."[38] Maureen Dowd described the book in The New York Times as being written "like a Bronte devoid of
talent," and said it was "dull and poorly written." [39] Jesse Kornbluth of The Huffington Post said: "As a reading
experience, Fifty Shades ... is a sad joke, puny of plot".[40]
Princeton professor April Alliston wrote, "Though no literary masterpiece, Fifty Shades is more than parasitic fan
fiction based on the recent Twilight vampire series."[41] Entertainment Weekly writer Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the book
a "B+" rating and praised it for being "in a class by itself." [42] British author Jenny Colgan in The Guardian wrote "It is
jolly, eminently readable and as sweet and safe as BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism) erotica can
be without contravening the trade descriptions act" and also praised the book for being "more enjoyable" than other
"literary erotic books".[43] The Daily Telegraph noted that the book was "the definition of a page-turner", noting that the
book was both "troubling and intriguing".[44] A reviewer for the Ledger-Enquirer described the book as guilty fun and
escapism, and that it "also touches on one aspect of female existence [female submission]. And acknowledging that
fact maybe even appreciating it shouldn't be a cause for guilt."[45] The New Zealand Herald stated that the book
"will win no prizes for its prose" and that "there are some exceedingly awful descriptions," although it was also an
easy read; "(If you only) can suspend your disbelief and your desire to if you'll pardon the expression slap the
heroine for having so little self respect, you might enjoy it."[46] The Columbus Dispatch stated that, "Despite the clunky
prose, James does cause one to turn the page."[47] Metro News Canada wrote that "suffering through 500 pages of
this heroine's inner dialogue was torturous, and not in the intended, sexy kind of way". [48] Jessica Reaves, of
the Chicago Tribune, wrote that the "book's source material isn't great literature", noting that the novel is "sprinkled
liberally and repeatedly with asinine phrases", and described it as "depressing". [49]
The book garnered some accolades. In December 2012, it won both "Popular Fiction" and "Book of the Year"
categories in the UK National Book Awards.[50][51] In that same month, Publishers Weekly named E. L. James the
'Publishing Person of the Year', a decision whose criticism in the LA Times and the New York Daily News was
referred to by and summarised in The Christian Science Monitor.[52]

Removal or reduced availability of novels

In March 2012, branches of the public library in Brevard County, Florida, removed copies of Fifty Shades of
Grey from their shelves, with an official stating that it did not meet the selection criteria for the library and that reviews
for the book had been poor. A representative for the library stated that it was due to the book's sexual content and
that other libraries had declined to purchase copies for their branches. [53] Deborah Caldwell-Stone of the American
Library Association commented that "If the only reason you don't select a book is that you disapprove of its content,
but there is demand for it, there's a question of whether you're being fair. In a public library there is usually very little
that would prevent a book from being on the shelf if there is a demand for the information."[53] Brevard County public
libraries later made their copies available to their patrons due to public demand. [54]
In Maca, Brazil, Judge Raphael Queiroz Campos ruled in January 2013 that bookstores throughout the city must
either remove the series entirely from their shelves or ensure that the books are wrapped and placed out of the reach
of minors.[55] The judge stated that he was prompted to make such an order after seeing children reading
them,[56] basing his decision on a law stating that "magazines and publications whose content is improper or
inadequate for children and adolescents can only be sold if sealed and with warnings regarding their content". [57]

Media
Film adaptation
Main article: Fifty Shades of Grey (film)

A film adaptation of the book was produced by Focus Features,[58] Michael De Luca Productions, and Trigger Street
Productions,[59] with Universal Pictures and Focus Features securing the rights to the trilogy in March
2012.[60] Universal is also the film's distributor. Charlie Hunnam was originally cast in the role of Christian Grey
alongside Dakota Johnson in the role of Anastasia Steele,[61][62] but Hunnam gave up the part in October
2013,[63] with Jamie Dornan announced for the role on 23 October.[64]
The film was released on 13 February 2015,[1] and although popular at the box office, critical reactions were mixed to
negative.[65]

Film soundtrack
Main article: Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

E. L. James announced the film's soundtrack would be released on 10 February 2015.[66][67] Prior to the soundtrack's
release, the first single, "Earned It", by The Weeknd, was released on 24 December 2014.[68] On 7 January 2015, the
second single, "Love Me like You Do" by Ellie Goulding was released.[69] Australian singer Sia released the
soundtrack's third single, "Salted Wound", on 27 January 2015. [70]
Classical album
An album of songs selected by E. L. James was released on 11 September 2012 by EMI Classics under the title Fifty
Shades of Grey: The Classical Album, and reached number four on the US Billboard classical music albums chart in
October 2012.[71][72] A Seattle P-I reviewer favourably wrote that the album would appeal both to fans of the series and
to "those who have no intention of reading any of the Grey Shades".[73]

Parodies
The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has inspired many parodies in print,[74][75] in film, online, and on stage.
In print

Amazon.com lists over 50 book parodies, e.g.:

Fifty Shades of Oy Vey (2013)[76] by E. L. Jamesbergstein

Fifty Shames of Earl Grey (2012)[77] by Fanny Merkin (a.k.a. Andrew Shaffer)
In Film

Fifty Shades of Black (2016)

Online

Parodying the fan fiction origins of Fifty Shades of Grey, Ivy league MBA students have created Erotic FinFiction,
a blog containing steamy entries written in business jargon. [78]
On stage

Stage productions include:

50 Shades! The Musical Parody[79]

Cuff Me: The Fifty Shades of Grey Musical Parody [80]
Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody

Fifty Shades Darker

Fifty Shades Darker is a 2012 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It is the second installment in
the Fifty Shades trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a
young business magnate, Christian Grey. The first and third volumes, Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Freed, were
published in 2011 and 2012. The novel is published by Vintage Books and reached #1 on the USA Today best seller
list.

Plot[edit]
Three days after leaving Christian, Anastasia "Ana" Steele begins her job as personal assistant to Jack Hyde, an editor
at Seattle Independent Publishing (SIP). He asks Ana out often which, though it makes her uneasy, she writes off.
Later, Christian emails her about a gallery exhibit Jos Rodriguez started in Portland, which she'd forgotten. Ana and
Christian attend the show together and kiss in an alley. The next day, they have lunch in a restaurant and Christian
reveals he wants her any way possible. He later asks that they resume their relationship but under Ana's conditions:
no rules and no punishments. She agrees.
Christian reveals to Ana that he bought SIP but that the deal must stay secret for another month. Feeling he is
interfering in her career, especially after he freezes the company's accounts preventing her from going on an
overnight business trip to New York with Jack, Ana finds it annoying. Christian insists his actions were for her own
protection because Jack is a "known philanderer" who has apparently harassed his last five assistants. Christian's
concerns prove correct when Jack corners Ana after hours and blackmails her, demanding sexual favors. Ana escapes
using her self-defense training, and Christian has Jack fired and confiscates his work computer.

Meanwhile, when attending a masquerade ball at the home of Christian's parents, Ana meets Elena Lincoln (whom
Ana nicknames Mrs. Robinson) and discovers that Elena and Christian own a salon business together. Later, Ana is
auctioned off and Christian bids $100,000 for the first dance with her. Ana is disgusted to learn Christian continues to
be friends with Elena, the woman who seduced him when he was only 15 years old and introduced him to
the BDSM lifestyle. When Elena realizes that Christian sees Ana as a girlfriend and not a submissive, she becomes
antagonistic towards Ana, trying to sow discord in the budding relationship.

Meanwhile, Ana is stalked at work by a disturbed Leila Williams, one of Christian's former submissives, a situation
made more intense when Ana learns Leila has a gun. Leila's obsession with Christian and Ana began after her lover
died in a car crash four months before, leading to a mental breakdown. Leila breaks into Ana's apartment and
threatens her at gunpoint. Christian defuses the situation by utilizing their dominant/submissive dynamic, leaving Ana
worried that Christian cannot be satisfied with a vanilla relationship. Ana confronts Christian about Leila. Fearing Ana
is leaving him again, Christian impulsively proposes. Ana does not answer, claiming she needs time to consider it.
Jos, who Christian still views as a romantic rival, drives to Seattle to visit Ana, which Christian only permits if they
both stay at Escala. Ana becomes worried on the night before Christian's 28th birthday when he goes missing flying
from Portland to Seattle in his helicopter with Ros Bailey. However, he eventually makes it back to Escala safely,
explaining that both helicopter's engines failed; sabotage is suspected. Ana realizes she never wants to be without
him and accepts his marriage proposal.

The next day, the Grey family throws Christian a large birthday party at their mansion. Ana's friend Kate worries after
finding an email between Ana and Christian, discussing the BDSM Contract, but Ana assures her that her relationship
with Christian is a vanilla one. After Christian and Ana announce their engagement, Elena angrily confronts Ana,
accusing her of being a gold-digger and claiming that a vanilla relationship will never satisfy Christian. Enraged, Ana
throws her drink at Elena and tells her to mind her own business. As they fight, Christian comes in and confronts
Elena. He reminds her that while she taught him how to take control of his own life, Elena never once taught him to
love like Ana did. Christian's adoptive mother, Grace, overhears the argument and is furious that Elena preyed on her
teenage son. After slapping her across the face, Grace rails on Elena for her actions and orders her out of her family's
life for good. She leaves in disgrace and Grace confronts Christian about it. After telling Grace the whole story, he
decides to end his business relationship with Elena and give back the salon to her.
Christian takes Ana to the boathouse, which has been decorated with flowers and soft lights. He proposes properly
with a ring and Ana accepts. Outside the Greys' mansion, Jack Hyde secretly watches the party; he is the one who
sabotaged Christian's helicopter and he has sworn revenge.

Characters[edit]

Anastasia "Ana" Rose Steele: College graduate, PA to Jack Hyde and primary love interest of Christian Grey.
Christian Grey: 28-year-old wealthy entrepreneur and CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc
Jason Taylor: Christian's bodyguard and the head of Christian's security team.
Luke Sawyer: Bodyguard in charge of Ana's protection.
Elena Lincoln: Christian's longtime friend and business partner. She is described as a tall, elegant, sexy, regal
platinum blonde and appears to be in her late 30s or early 40s. One of the two main antagonists aside Jack Hyde
Elliot Grey: son of Carrick Grey and Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey, and elder brother to Christian Grey and Mia Grey.
Mia Grey: Adoptive daughter of Carrick Grey and Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey and younger sister of Christian Grey
and Elliot Grey.
Katherine "Kate" Kavanagh: Ana's best friend and roommate. In relationship with Elliot Grey.
Jack Hyde: Acquisitions Editor at Seattle Independent Publishing (SIP) and Christian Grey's rival. Another
antagonist who becomes the main one in Fifty Shades Freed
 Leila Williams: A former submissive of Christian. A minor antagonist who leaves in disgrace
Ray Steele: Ana's stepfather who had been her father.
Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey: Christian's adoptive mother.
Carrick Grey: Christian's adoptive father.
Carla May Wilks: Ana's mother. Married four times.
Ethan Kavanagh: Kate Kavanagh's older brother, Ana's friend
Jos Rodriguez: Close friend of Ana.
Elizabeth Morgan: a colleague at SIP

Fifty Shades Freed

Fifty Shades Freed is the third and final installment of the erotic romance Fifty Shades Trilogy by British author E. L.
James. After accepting entrepreneur CEO Christian Grey's proposal in Fifty Shades Darker, Anastasia Steele must
adjust not only to married life but to her new husband's wealthy lifestyle and controlling nature. The paperback
edition was first published in April 2012.[1]

Plot[edit]
After a long honeymoon in Europe, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey return to Seattle where Christian admits he is
upset that Ana has kept her maiden name, Steele, at work. After some resistance, Ana yields when she finds out how
important taking his name is to Christian. Christian gives Seattle Independent Publishing as a late wedding present to
Ana, who plans to rename it Grey Publishing.

Christian leaves for a business trip in New York and against his overprotective wishes, Ana sneaks out for a drink with
longtime friend, Kate Kavanagh. When she returns home, she finds her former boss Jack Hyde inside, knocked
unconscious by one of her many security staff. The duct tape in his pocket suggests he intended to kidnap her and he
is arrested. After a fight with Christian about her sneaking out to see Kate, Ana berates him for being too controlling
and possessive of her, and says she needs to have some freedom. Soon after, Christian surprises her with a trip
to Aspen, with Kate, Elliot, Mia, and Kate's brother, Ethan. After seeing Elliot Grey exit a jewelry shop with an ex-
girlfriend, Ana fears he is cheating on Kate. She later finds out she is mistaken when Elliot proposes to Kate and she
accepts.
Shortly after returning to work, Ana's father, Ray Steele, is in a car accident and placed into a medically induced coma.
Ana and Christian stay by his side in Portland until, a few days later, he wakes and is moved to Seattle to recover. This
is also Ana's birthday weekend where Christian surprises her with all her family and friends at a dinner. He gives her a
charm bracelet with charms representing all their "firsts" including an ice cream cone to represent their "vanilla"
relationship. Christian also gifts her an Audi R8which she asked for a couple weeks earlier. While visiting Ray at the
hospital, Ana finds out she is pregnant after her gynecologist confronts her about missing four of her contraception
injection appointments. When she tells Christian, he angrily accuses her of getting pregnant on purpose and leaves.
He returns early the next morning drunk, stating that Ana will choose their new baby over him. While undressing him
in his drunken state, Ana is furious to see a text message on Christian's phone from Elena Lincoln, his mother's former
friend who seduced him when he was fifteen and introduced him to the BDSM lifestyle. The message indicates that he
was out drinking with her.
The next two mornings Ana and Christian barely speak out of anger: Christian because of the unplanned pregnancy;
and Ana because of his late night visit with Elena. Christian sees nothing wrong with him meeting with Elena, even
though he tries to explain to a skeptical Ana that his relationship with her is long-since over and was trying to find Dr.
Flynn. While at work, Ana receives an email from Christian stating he will be in Portland on business for a few days
when she is called by Jack Hyde. He has kidnapped Mia Grey and wants $5 million in two hours. He warns her not to
tell anyone or he will kill Mia.

Ana feigns an illness and returns home to escape her bodyguard Sawyer. At home, she takes Leila Williams' loaded
gun and makes her way to the bank. While collecting the money, the suspicious bank manager calls Christian who
thinks Ana is leaving him. Ana lies that she is leaving him and going to raise the baby alone so Christian won't
interfere and endanger Mia's life. Hyde tells Ana to leave her phone but she tricks him by taking the bank manager's
phone instead and dropping it in the trash. She leaves via the back entrance to a waiting car, shocked that Hyde's
accomplice is Elizabeth Morgan, her co-worker, who helped Jack to kidnap Mia in their gym. When handing over the
money, Hyde attacks her out of vengeance for losing his job leading to Elizabeth to feel guilty for her actions.
Angered over his behavior over hurting Ana, she and Hyde argues over it. On the ground and bruised, Ana shoots
Hyde in the leg and when Ana starts to black out she hears her name being called by Christian.

Ana wakes three days later in the hospital with Christian at her side. Though he is angry at Ana for being reckless and
still anxious about being a father, he now realizes how important their baby is to her and they reconcile. Ana returns
home the next day. Christian finds out from his private investigator Welch that he and Hyde were in the same family
while in foster care. He also decides to be more open with Ana by telling her how he met and was seduced by Elena.
She helped Christian in teaching him to take control of his life by introducing him to the world of BDSM and admitted
if Elena hadn't intervened when she did, he would have continued to be plagued with horrible memories of his
mother and would never have been in control of his life. Ana feels guilty for her behavior when he finally explains that
he was looking for his psychiatrist, Dr. Flynn, for a meeting because he needed help. When he couldn't get a hold of
Flynn, Christian wound up at the salon and Elena took him over to her favorite bar to talk to him. Even though she
tried to make a pass at him, Elena realized that Christian loved Ana and they bid their final farewell. The next day, a
furious Christian discovers that Elena's ex-husband, Mr. Eric Lincoln, bailed Jack out of jail out of spite for her in
having an affair with Christian. He tells Ana that after learning about the affair, Eric assaulted her severely and left.
Despite Christian's attempts to convince Elena to press charges against Eric, she refused. Christian decides to get
payback by buying out Eric Lincoln's logging company and selling it off to the highest bidders. It was also learned
Elizabeth was blackmailed by Hyde to be his accomplice, and spilled her guts to the police about it. (However, her
ultimate fate remains a mystery.)

Two years later, Ana and Christian have a son named Theodore Raymond Grey, nicknamed Teddy, and Ana is six
months pregnant with their second child, a daughter whom they plan to name Phoebe. Elliot and Kate have gotten
married and have a two-month-old daughter named Ava. At the end, Ana and Christian are getting ready to celebrate
Teddy's second birthday with their family and friends.

Characters[edit]

Anastasia "Ana" Grey ne Steele: Commissioning Editor at SIP (Seattle Independent Publishing) and wife of
Christian Grey.
Christian Grey: Adoptive son of Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey and Carrick Grey. 28-year-old CEO of Grey Enterprise
Holdings, Inc and Anastasia's husband.
Jason Taylor: Christian's most trusted bodyguard and head of Christian's security team.
Luke Sawyer: Bodyguard in charge of Ana's protection.
Jack Hyde: Ana's former boss and main antagonist.
Mia Grey: Adoptive daughter of Carrick Grey and Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey and younger sister of Christian Grey
and Elliot Grey.
Katherine "Kate" Kavanagh: Ana's best friend and Elliot Grey's wife
Elliot Grey: Elder brother to Christian Grey and Mia Grey and Katherine's husband
Elena Lincoln: Grace Trevelyan Grey's former friend and Christian's former Dominant. One of the main
antagonists in Fifty Shades Darker
Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey: Christian's adoptive mother.
 Carrick Grey: Christian's adoptive father.
Ray Steele: Ana's step-father, who adopted Ana and gave her his last name.
Ethan Kavanagh: Kate Kavanagh's older brother.
Leila Williams: A former submissive of Christian.
Elizabeth Morgan: Ana's SIP colleague.
Mr. Eric Lincoln: Owner of Lincoln Timbers and Elena's ex-husband.
Theodore Raymond Grey: Son of Anastasia and Christian Grey.