The Effect of Childhood Experience on Christian Grey
’s Character
in E. L. James
’
Fifty Shades Darker
A THESIS
Submitted as Partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Sarjana Degree of English Department of Humanities UIN SunanAmpel Surabaya.
By:
EkaMaritta NIM: A73213090
ENGLISH DEPARTEMENT FACULTY OF ART AND HUMANITIES
ABSTRACT
Maritta, Eka. 2017. The Effect of Childhood Experience on Christian Grey’s Character in E. L. James’ Fifty Shades Darker. English Department, Faculty of Art and Humanities, the State Islamic University of SunanAmpel Surabaya.
Advisor: ItsnaSyahadatudDinurriyah, MA.
Childhood traumatic experience can influence the growth of children. How the trauma influence of children’s characteristic. The effects of childhood
traumatic experience is portrayed in the novel entitledFifty Shades Darkerby E. L. James. From this point, this study reveals the characterization of the main character of this novel, Christian Grey, by using new criticism theory. The result of this study shows that the traumatic experience of Christian Grey in this novel makes him some bad characters, bossy, overprotective and sadist.
ABSTRAK
Maritta, Eka. 2017.The Effect of Childhood Experience on Christian Grey’s Character in E. L. James’ FiftyShades Darker.English Department, Faculty of Art and Humanities, the State Islamic University of SunanAmpel Surabaya.
Advisor: Itsna Syahadatud Dinurriyah, MA.
Pengalaman trauma pada masa kecil depan memberikan pengaruh terhadap pertumbuhan seorang anak. Bagaimana trauma tersebut memberikan pengaruh pada pembentukan karakter anak tersebut. Efek dari pengalaman traumatis pada masa kecil dapat terlihat pada novelFifty Shades Darkerkarya E. L. James.Dari poin ini, skripsi ini menjelaskan tentang penggambaran karakter dari tokoh utama pada novel ini, Christian Grey, dengan menggunakan teori new criticism. Kesimpulan dari skripsi ini nantinya akan menunjukkan tentang pengalaman traumatis dari Christian Grey pada novel ini yang membuat dirinya memiliki beberapa sifat buruk seperti suka memerintah, overprotektif dan juga kejam.
1.1.Background of The Study………... 1
1.2. Statement of The Problem……….. 5
1.3. The Objective ofThe Study………... 5
1.4.Significance of The Study ……….5
1.5. Scope and Limitation……… 6
1.6.Method of The Study……….. 6
1.7. Definition of Key Terms………7
CHAPTER II LITERARY REVIEW 2.1. Theoretical Framework………... 9
2.2. New Criticism………. 9
2.2.1. Character………...……….10
2.2.2. Characterization…...………. 13
2.3.Psychological Approach……… 15
CHAPTER III ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY
3.1. ChristianGrey’s Bad Experience………..……… 22
3.2. The Condition that RiseChristian Trauma……… 26
3.2.1. Touching……… 27
3.2.2. Arguing……….. 29
3.3.The Effect toward Christian’s Character ……….. 31
3.3.1. Bossy………. 32 3.3.2. Overprotective………... 34
3.3.3. Sadist……….. 36
CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION Conclusion………... 39
WORK CITED………...43
SYNOPSIS OF THE STORY……….. 45
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
Literature has a significant connection with human life. It can be expressed by literature in words that appeal to human sense of beauty, emotions, and also imaginations. It is stated inEnglish Literature,William J. long claims that all of the literature is the reflection of some beauty and truth which are in the world, but which still unnoticed until bring to our notice by some sensitive human soul, just as the delicate curves of the shell reflect sounds and harmonies too faint to be otherwise noticed (J. Long 31). Shortly, literature can be used to express someone’s thoughts, feelings, and experience in life.
Literature represents life; and life is a sequence of various human’s
experiences. Many of the realities that consist in life can be taken as the elements of literary work. According to Terry Eagleton, most of the literary theory also tends to view the literary work as a ’reflection’ or ‘expression’ of reality. It
embodies human experience, or enacts an author's intention or it reproduces the structures of the human mind (Eagleton 157). From that statement, literature is one of media that retells human experiences and occurrences in the society through human’s imagination. Moreover, as Waren and Wellek said that literary
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Psychological experience is one of many themes in literary work, beside the society, economy, politic, and religion. Psychological experience is the interesting theme and issue in literary work. In this issue, we can analyze the feeling of human’s soul and the personality of each character. Psychology and
literature have a bilateral relation. As stated byDastmard that human’s soul makes the literature and literature nourishes human’s soul. Human’s psychicalreceptions take into consideration the human and natural life perspectives and provide
references of literal works. In the other hand, literature also takes into account the life’s truths to make clear the perspectives of human’s soul. Literature and
psychology both, pay attention to fancy, thinks, feelings sensations and soul psychical issues (Dastmard et al 01).
Some of the authors write a novel in the form of psychology experience. One of the authors who wrote the novel as the representation psychology experience is E. L. James. James writesFifty Shades Darkerand published the novel in 2012. This novel is the second series fromFifty Shades Trilogy. The trilogy traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey.Fifty Shades of Grey,Fifty Shades DarkerandFifty Shades Freedfollow the abusive relationship between the protagonist, Ana, and Christian Grey. Grey introduces Ana to the world of a distasteful representation of BDSM (Bondage, Discipline-Dominance,
Submission-Sadism, and Masochism). BDSM refers to a range of sexual
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InFifty Shades Darkerwe can find out that the main character, Christian Grey, was abused as a young boy, neglected by a mother who was addicted to drugs and was controlled by a pimp. The pimp would beat and abuse him until age 4. Christian was by her side when his mother died, neglected and starving for food (Bonomi et al 2). This abuse leaves some scars on his chest that makes him have a hard limit for other people cannot to touch him on his chest. He loses his mother in age 4 and never receives love from his mother, therefore, he looks for the figure of his mother in his submissive that always has brown hair like her mother. This trauma also makes him sometimes has a nightmare.
In his adolescence, Christian also has childhood sexual abuse. This trauma begins when he is founded by Dr. Grace with his husband in the hospital and takes him as their son. After Christian at15 years old, he works in the house of Grace’s friend. In this work he has sexual abuse, he become a submissive for Mrs.
Robinson, his adoptivemother’s friend for about 1.5 years. In his adult life, he is very gorgeous, and has only experienced BDSM relationships sexually, having never experienced being in love.
Trauma is direct personal experience of an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or other threat to one’s physical integrity; or
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helplessness, or in children, the response must involve disorganized or agitated behavior.
For some children, experiencing trauma in childhood can also be particularly damaging. Research studies have examined differences between traumatized children and their peers in the very early years, and later as these children reach adulthood (Michaels 2). Not all children exposed to trauma will experience symptoms as a result, but traumatic stress can have an effect on the way the body functions internally, the manner in which children interpret the world around them, the behaviors and interactions of these children, and short-and long-term health status.
Hysteria is the result of a traumatic experience. The emotions appropriate to the trauma are not expressed directly. They express themselves in behaviors that in a weak, vague way offer a response to the trauma. As Freud said that hysteria defined as the psychiatric condition variously characterized by emotional excitability, excessive anxiety, sensory and motor disturbances, or the
unconscious simulation of organic disorders. Freud will concentrate on what we today call "psychosomatic" illnesses, that is, seemingly organic symptoms that in fact have a purely psychological origin. (Freud 219)
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James tells about childhood experience and its effect on character of Christian Grey because of his bad experience.
1.2. Statement of the Problems
Related to the background of the study, this study will focus on Christian Grey as the main character. Concerning the idea, this study formulates the research question as follow:
1. What was Christian Grey’sbad experience? 2. What conditions riseGrey’strauma?
3. What are the effects toward the character of Christian Grey after getting traumatic experience?
1.3. Objective of the Study
This study concern of presenting a brief account for the readers about the problems stated previously. This study tries to present the following aims:
1. To reveal about Christian Grey’s childhood experience.
2. To explain about the conditions that make Christian Grey remember his trauma.
3. To describe about the effect of the trauma on the character of Christian Grey.
1.4. Significance of the Study
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characterization and the way he lives after getting the traumatic experience from his birth mother and his mother’s friend. By knowing the effects of traumatic experience, this study can be used to motivate the readers to find another way to recover and leave from a trauma.
The findings of this study is expected to provide valuable input to the English Department student and other researchers that need the data to get information and give the additional empirical data about the study.
1.5. Scope and Limitation
In this study, there is the scope and limitation. This study uses E. L.James’s novel as the data with the title is Fifty Shades Darker. This study is focus to the Christian’s bad experiences, his sexual relationship in his adolescent and also the
character of Christian Grey after his childhood bad experience. The problem is analyzed on the childhood experience and its effects toward Christian Grey. This study is focusing on the traumatic experience, character and characterization, and hysteria as the result of traumatic experience in literary criticism.
1.6. Method of the Study
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story. Based on the problems above, this study wants to describe about character and characterization and also the psychological approach. This study collected the data from many sources; they are books, e-books, and also online sources to give better understanding. There are some steps that this study uses in order to present the analysis:
1. Reading and understanding about the story ofFifty Shades Darkerby E. L. James, and deciding the topic of the study, especially the psychological experience on Christian Grey.
2. Collecting the data from many sources about the topic of the study,
including the theories which are suitable with the topic. They are character and characterization, and also the psychological approach.
3. Collecting and selecting the data in forms of narrations and conversations in the novel which is related to the focus of the study, Christian Grey and his traumatic experience.
4. Classify some sentences, paragraphs and dialogues which show the
conditions of the character of Christian Grey in after his childhood traumatic experience.
5. Analyzing the selected data with the hysteria and character theory. 6. Making conclusion based on the result of the data analysis.
1.7. Definition of Key Terms
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that experience. A traumatic event involves one's experience, or repeating events of being overwhelmed that can be precipitated in weeks, years, or even decades as the person struggles to cope with the immediate circumstances, eventually leading to serious, long-term negative consequences (Freud 99).
Hysteria:Hysteria is the result of a traumatic experience, one that cannot be integrated into the person's understanding of the world or the result of a traumatic childhood experience (Freud 219).
BDSM :(Bondage, Discipline-Dominance, Submission-Sadism, and
Masochism) can include a range of activities that may be played out within and outside of sexual contexts; typically the activities include aspects of power and pain, with consent agreement about the
activities from involved parties (Bonomi et al 2).
Dominant :The person who exerts control or power over another in the context BDSM (Marie 01).
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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Theoretical Framework
In this chapter, this study will explain more about the theory that will be used in analyzingFifty Shades Darkernovel. This study uses new criticism theory to analyze it. In analyzing this novel, this study focuses on analyzing the
characterization of the main character in the novel, Christian Grey. This study uses new criticism to answer the statement of the problem. For supporting the theory to analysis the novel, this study uses psychological approach to analyze the behaviors and the emotions of character in a work. The theory is explained as follows.
2.2. New Criticism
American new criticism is emerging in the 1920s and especially dominant in the 1940s and 1950s. According to Raman Selden, new criticism is clearly characterized in practice and premise, and it is not concerned withcontext– historical, biographical, and intellectual and so on, it is concerned solely with the ‘text in itself’, with its language and organization. It does not seek a text’s
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need to bring outside information of the story about the historical condition of the time or about the biographical of the author.
Holman stated inA book to Literaturethat new criticism concern with the symbol, the meaning, the image, and only frequently with genre, with image or with character (Holman 295). In shortly, new criticism is a method that provides the reader with a formula for arriving at the correct interpretation of a text using only in the text itself. This method gives the reader an objective approach to discovera text’s meaningand focuses on intrinsic rather than extrinsic elements of the text.
New criticism theory focuses on internal element of the text and does not explain about external factor of the text. The internal element itself can be plot, setting, theme, point of view, symbols, images, rhyme, characterization, and so on. New criticism’s purpose in analysis isto reveal the true meaning of the text based on the text itself. Tyson added that a single best or most accurate
interpretation of each text could be seen when it best represents the text itself and best explains what the text means and how the text produces the meaning (Tyson 148).
2.2.1. Character
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intense relationship with literary characters that they often cease to be simply ‘objects’. Through the power of identification, through sympathy and antipathy,
they can become part of how we conceive ourselves, a part of who we are (Bennet and Royle 60). It means that character as the shape of an inscribed letter on a tombstone and as the personality of a human being. The text implies that our knowledge of people is determined by writing, by the character of written words.
Character is a person or other being in a narrative work that has
complicated term. As Holman said that character is a complicated term which is included the ideas of moral constitution of human personality, the presence of moral uprightness, and the simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of one sort to another (63). The statements describes that character is a representation of human being in literary art which describes the life of human in the real life.
The purpose of a character is to give a better understanding of human nature and human behavior that anyone can ever get in life. Abrams says that characters are the person represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader asbeing endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive ways
of saying it—the dialogue—and from what they do—the action (Abram32).
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“round”character. Flat character is a characters lack the development that seems to bring them to life, lack the complexity that lets us know them as we know people in our lives, and seem to represent “types” more than real personalities. A
round character is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle particularity; such a character therefore is as difficult to describe with any adequacy as a person in a real life, and like real persons, is capable of
surprising us (Abram 33). It means that a round character has complex attitude and personality and it is more complex than flat character. Flat characters tend to stay the same throughout a story, but round characters often change. So, a flat character is known the character has his or her virtuous and vices from the start the story tell about than a round character.
In other hand, Holman said that there are other kinds of character in
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In literary work, characters are divided into some types. Based on its significance role in developing a story, characters are separated into major and minor characters. Major or main character refers to character which appears in almost all or totally in the whole story. He or she is character which is mostly told and always relates to other characters. On the other hand, minor character is character which appears only in some parts of the whole story and he or she is told less than major character. Minor characters may exist just when they are having correlation with the major characters (Nurgiyantoro 176-177). In the story, there are some kinds of character. They can have positive and negative side; it is like good and bad character.
2.2.2. Characterization
Characterization is one of important elements in narrative work. Characterization is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. As Holman said that characterization is the creation of these imaginary persons, so that they exist for the reader as real within the limits of the fiction and have ability tocharacterize the people of one’s imagination successfully is a primary attribute of a good novelist, dramatist, or short story (Holman 75).
Characterization is one of the method to present the character in the author’s works.When the reader reads a literary work, they can understand the character personality. Characterization is also a thing that author delivered
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Through explanation in the dialogue, characterization as depicting in writing to make image of person clearly in his action though and life (Seymour Chatman 107). It means that characterization is the act of creating and describing characters in literature. Characterization includes bothdescriptions of a character’s physical attributes as well as the character’s personality.
There are some methods that can be used of characterization. An author commonly characterizes their characters in order to create life like characters in their novels. The first method is indirect presentation and the second is direct presentation (Holman 138). The author describes his character indirectly by using the first method. Author usually through the character speeches and actions, may reveals what the characters themselves say, as speeches may be expected to indicate the character of the speaker. It may be reflected a momentary emotional or intellectual state. Besides speech, an author can also use the actions of his characters to describe the character traits of those characters. And in other hand, some author also use looks, thoughts, and effect on others toward the character to describe the character in detail in his work.
In other hand, Abram states that there are two methods of characterization; showingandtelling(Abrams 33).Showingis when the author presents the
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2.3. Psychological Approach
Literary critics have traditionally performed psychological literary criticism by championing one particular psychological theory and applying it to all works of all authors. There is a close relationship between psychology and literature. Literature exhibits how human beings behave in dealing with their problems and environment. Psychology deals with the study of observable patterns of human’s behavior. As stated by Tim Gillespie that psychology is the endlessly fascinating science of human mind and behavior, and it can be a
rewarding tool for enhancing our understanding and appreciation of literature and ourselves (Gillespie 43).
A psychological approach enlarges the number of interpretative strategies we use while reading. The largest purpose of psychological approach is the readers, in learning about applying psychological insights the authors, literary characters, and texts, might learn to better apply those insights to themselves, their relationships, and their cultures (Gillespie 52). Psychology and literature are closely related fields of human inquiry. Writers use psychological insights to inform their art and psychologists use literature to assist their research into human behavior. And readers can do the same.
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environment(Skinner 45). Human’s behavior ismostly controlled by external factor. It can be environment and social-culture. Skinner also states that many theories of human behavior, nevertheless, neglect or ignore the action of the environment. The contact between the organism and the surrounding world is wholly disregarded or at best casually described. This is almost always true in clinical psychology, for example. The clinician often speaks of people, places, and things as "facts" entering into the interpretation of his patient's behavior, without further specifying their action (Skinner 129). In shortly, human behavior refers to the full range of physical and emotional behaviors that human engage in
biologically, socially, intellectually, and are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, persuasion, and genetics.
Behavior is a difficult subject matter, not because it is inaccessible, but because it is extremely complex. Skinner in his bookScience and Human Behaviorthat behavior is a process, rather than a thing, it cannot easily be held still for observation. It is changing, fluid, and evanescent, and for this reason it makes great technical demands upon the ingenuity and energy of the scientist. But there is nothing essentially insoluble about the problems which arise from this fact (Skinner 15).Such behavior raises most of the practical problems in human affairs and is also of particular theoretical interest because of its special characteristics.
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in turn attributed to events in our history or present circumstances—to the things which frighten or enrage us or make us angry or sad. As stated by Skinner that the behavior, the emotion, and the prior external event comprise the three links of our familiar causal chain. The middle link may be taken to be either psychic or
physiological. In the psychic case, it is argued that an external circumstance makes an individualfeel emotionaland that the feeling leads him to take appropriate action (Skinner 165).
Any extreme deprivation probably acts as an emotional operation. The starving man is almost necessarily frustrated and afraid. Nostalgia includes both a drive and an emotion. If we remove a man from his characteristic surroundings, a large part of his social behavior cannot be emitted and may therefore become more and more probable: he will return to his old surroundings whenever possible and will be particularly "sociable" when he does so. Other parts of his behavior become strong because they are automatically reinforced under the prevailing deprivation; he will talk to anyone who will listen about his old surroundings, his old friends, and what he used to do. This is all a result of deprivation. But
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2.4. Review Related Study
In review of literature, this study finds out a previous study about New Criticism theory and psychological approach that researcher intends to have a research. This thesis belongs to Ni’mah Fathatun, a student of UIN Sunan Ampel entitledThe Effect of Family Condition on Krystal Weedon’s Character Reflected in J. K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy.The research has similar theory and approach, but different novel. This thesis focuses on how the problem in Weedon’s family has big effect for the character ofKrystal.
For others review of literature, this study finds out a previous study which uses same object aboutFifty Shades Darker. The thesis belongs to Karina Rahma Hadianti a student of Diponegoro University Semarang entitledThe Triangular Love of Main Characters in E. L.James’ Fifty Shades Darker.This thesis focuses on love relationship between the characters named Christian Grey and Anastasia Steel. This thesis wants to prove the existence of love aspects in the novel by analyzing the intrinsic and extrinsic aspects. The intrinsic aspects cover
characters, setting, and conflicts. Meanwhile, in the extrinsic aspects, this thesis elaborates Robert Stamberg’s triangular theory of love.
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of personality and theory of trauma proposed by Sigmund Freud. This study focused onChristian’s symptoms of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder because of childhood trauma.
From the previous study above, there are similarities and differences with this study. This study and the first study are using same theory and approach to analyze the novel. Although it will discuss with the same theory and approach but this study use different novel with the previous study and also there are some differences. If the first study focuses on how the problem in Weedon’s family has
big effect for the character of Krystal, so this study focuses on what are the traumatic experiences of Christian Grey and what the effect of the trauma to Grey’s character.While for the second study is focusing on love relationship between the main characters inFifty Shades Darkernovel, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steel. It discusses about the intrinsic aspects of this novel, there are characters, setting and conflicts, and for the extrinsic aspects this previous study uses Robert Stamberg’s triangular theory of love to analyze the love aspect in this
novel. While this study will focus on how the childhood traumatic experience can make some effects to Christian Grey’s character.
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CHAPTER 3
Analysis
In this chapter, this study will analyze the traumatic experience and its effects from one character in the novelFifty Shades Darker, Christian Grey. The data are in the form of paragraph, direct or indirect quotation from the utterances of the narrator or from the conversation among the characters. By firstly,
examining on childhood traumatic experience of Christian Grey. After knowing Grey’s trauma, it will help to analyze the next problem. After having the
description about the traumatic experience, this study is going to answer the effects of Grey’s trauma on his character. The effect after getting trauma is
explained in focus on the character and characterization. It provides the
probability of effect which can be happen after getting a trauma and it is used by this study to describe Christian Grey’s character after getting a trauma.
This chapter contains the analysis by detail about Christian Grey and his traumatic experience. This chapter is going to divide into three parts. The first part is explaining Christian Grey’s traumatic experiences to know what Grey’s
traumas are. The second is explaining the condition that can raise Grey’s trauma.
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3.1.Christian Grey’s badexperience
Actually, trauma is an event involves one’s experience, or repeating events
of being overhelmed that can be precipitated in weeks, years, or even decades as the person struggles to cope with the immediate circumstances, eventually leading to serious, long-term negative consequences. This part will explain about
traumatic experiences of the main character inFifty Shades Darkernovel,
Christian Grey. Based on this story, Christian Grey is an unloved child that had a horrific childhood. He lives with his mother who could not protect him from the crack whore’s pimp. It can be seen from the quotationbelow.
After a while, he sighs, and in a soft voice he says, “I had a horrific
childhood. One of the crack whore’s pimps..” His voice trails off, and his body tenses as he recalls some unimaginable horror. “I can remember
that,” he whispers, shuddering.
Abruptly, my heart constricts as I remember the burn scars marring his skin.Oh, Christian.I tighten my arms around his neck (James 37).
Christian Grey childhood is fulfilled of the bad memories. He just lives with his mother who is a whore, and he never knows who his father is. He lives with his mother but he never receives love from her. Sometimes one of his mother’s pimps comes to his house to abuse his mother and hits him. That
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He hits Mommy with a belt.Get up! Get up! You are one fucked-up bitch. You are one fucked-up bitch. You are one fucked-up bitch. You are one
fucked-up bitch. You are one fucked-up bitch. You are one fucked-up bitch. Mommy makes a sobbing noise. Stop. Please stop. Mommy doesn’t scream. Mommy curls up small. (James 3)
When the pimp comes back to his house he stands over Christian’s mother
and shouts. He hits her with a belt. She does not scream but she cannot resist his hits. She just is passive and makes sobbing noise.
While the pimp hits his mother, Christian only can hide under table, close his eyes, and use his finger in his ears. He cannot protect his mother and his mother also never protects him from her pimp. This condition is explained more detail in this novel in the prolog (James 3).
“There’s a loud noise and he’s back, and he hits me so hard, cursing the
crack whore. His first reaction was always to use his fists or his belt.”
“Is that why you don’t like to be touched?”
He closes his eyes and hugs me tighter. “That’s complicated,” he
murmurs. He nuzzles me between my breasts, inhaling deeply, trying to distract me (James 345).
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means a hard limit for him. He never receives love from his birth mother and also he cannot love himself.
When someone touches him in the place that he forbids to be touched, he will be rigid immediately and change his expression. His expression will show his fear and his pain, because he remembers again his bad experiences and he can feel it again.
“It hurt,” he says, “It’s the pain I remember. That’s what gives me
nightmares. That and the fact that she did nothing to stop him.”
Oh no. This is unbearable. I tighten my grip around him, my legs and arms holding him to me, and I try not to let my despair choke me. How could anyone treat a child like that? He raises his head and pins me with his intense gray gaze.
“You’re not like her. Don’t ever think that. Please.”
I blink back at him. It’s very reassuring to hear. He puts his head on my
chest again, and I think he’s finished, but he surprises me by continuing.
“Sometimes in the dreams she’s just lying on the floor. And I think she’s
asleep. But she doesn’t move. She never moves. And I’m hungry. Really
hungry.”(James345)
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Besides he dreams about the violation from the pimp, sometimes he also dreams about the dying of his mother. His mother died because of overdosing drugs in front of him. She just lied on the floor and Christian was at her side. In that time, he is still in 4. It took 4 days for other people to find his mother’s condition and save him.
“My wife wasthe doctor on duty when the police brought him in. He was skin and bones, and badly dehydrated. He wouldn’t speak.” Carrick
frowns again, lost in the awful memory, despite the up-tempo music surrounding us. “In fact, he didn’t speak for nearly two years.It was playing the piano that eventually brought him out of himself. Oh, and Mia’s arrival, of course.” He smiles down at me fondly(James 163).
After Christian and his mother are found, they take them to the hospital. In this hospital, Christian meets Grace who is a doctor in this hospital. Christian is found in bad condition, he is badly dehydrated and he would not speak. Grace and her husband, Carrick Grey, finally decide to adopt him. He still does not speak for nearly two years. Finally,it is playing piano and Mia’s arrival, his little sister in Grey’sfamily, which can make him interesting and brings him out of himself and his silent.
But who wouldn’t go off the deep end? What normal, sane person would
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fuckedupness? I don’t understand her. And worse still, he says she helped
him. How?
I think of his scars, the stark physical embodiment of a horrific childhood and a sickening reminder of what mental scars he must bear (James 125).
In adolescent, for about fifteen years old, Christian works in his mother’s friends. His mother’s friend, Elena Robinson, abuses him. She teaches him sex for
the first time. Not only sex, she makes him as her submissive. She teaches him about hard sex and how to be dominant and take control in everything in this world. She makes him more confident and brave in front of other people, but she also contributes to some his bad characters.
“I was out of control. I couldn’t bear to be touched. I can’t bear it now. For
a fourteen, fifteen-year-old adolescent boy with hormones raging, it was a difficult time. She showed me a way to letoff steam.” (James 182)
In this quotation, it shows that in his adolescent he has difficult time because of his hormone raging and also the abusive from Elena. This abuse makes him a person who always likes control and could not bear to be touched.
3.2.The conditionsthat rise Christian’s trauma
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3.2.1. Touching
One of the conditions that can make him remember his trauma again is when Anastasia tries to touch him on his chest and his back. This condition often makes him shows his fear and his anxiety in his expression.
“Touching is a hard limit for me, Anastasia,” he whispers.
“I know. I wish I understood why.”
After a while, he sighs, and in a soft voice he says, “I had a horrific
childhood. One of the crack whore’s pimps. ..” His voice trails off, and his body tenses as he recalls some unimaginable horror. “I can remember
that,” he whispers, shuddering.
Abruptly, my heart constricts as I remember the burn scars marring his skin.Oh, Christian.I tighten my arms around his neck.
“Was she abusive? Your mother?” My voice is low and soft with unshed
tears.
“Not that I remember. She was neglectful. She didn’t protect me from her
pimp.”(James 37)
This quotation takes when Christian and Anastasia have a dinner in the restaurant. In this moment, Christian tries to make Anastasia wants to come back to him. So, in this time Christian opens his some secret of his bad memories. He opens his darker secret of why touching is a hard limit for him and he explains the cause why he has some burn scars on his skin.
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“No,” he responds quickly. “Do. It’s fine. I’m good,” he mutters.
I gently undo the button and my fingers glide down his shirt to the next. His eyes are large and luminous, his lips parted as his breathing shallows. He is so beautiful, even in his fear. . . because of his fear. I undo the third button and notice his soft hair poking through the largeVof the shirt. “I want to kiss you there,” I murmur.
He inhales sharply. “Kiss me?”
“Yes,” I murmur.
His gasps as I undo the next button and very slowly lean forward, making my intentionclear. He’s holding his breath, but stands stock-still as I plant a gentle kiss among the soft, exposed curls. I undo the final button and lift my face to him. He’s gazing at me, and there’s a look of satisfaction, calm,
and. . . wonder on his face (James 387–388).
This quotation shows that the condition when Anastasia tries to touch and kisses his chest. It makes him remember of his past when the pimp hits him and burn his chest with his cigarette. So, that is the reason why this is so hard for him to receive a touch at his chest especially on his burn scars.
“[…] she’s notmyMrs. Robinson.”
“She can touch you,” I repeat.
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He runs both hands through his hair and closes his eyes briefly, as if he’s seeking divine guidance of some kind. He swallows.
“You and I don’t have any rules. I have never had a relationship without
rules, and I never know where you’re going to touch me. It makes me
nervous. Your touch completely—” He stops, searching for the words. “It just means more. .. so much more”
More?His answer’s completely unexpected, throwing me, and there’s that
little word with the big meaning hanging between us again (James 107).
This quotation takes when Christian and Anastasia argue about Elena after they went to the Elena’s salon. This condition forces him to explain about his hard
limit of touch to Anastasia and what the reason why Elena can touch him and Anastasia cannot. This condition makes him remember his past with Elena and explain all to Anastasia.
3.2.2. Arguing
The second condition is when Christian and Anastasia arguing that Christian actually is a lovely man. Anastasia tries to explain and makes him understand that he can receive love and also he can love himself too.
“You’re very easy to love. Don’t you see that?”
“No, baby, I don’t.”
“You are. And I do and so does your family. So do Elena and Leila—they
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“Stop.” He puts his finger over my lips and shakes his head, an agonized
expression on his face. “I can’t hear this. I’m nothing, Anastasia. I’m a
husk of a man. I don’t have a heart.”
“Yes, you do. And I want it, all of it. You’re a good man, Christian, a
really good man. Don’t ever doubt that. Look at what you’vedone. . . what you’ve achieved,” I sob. “Look what you’ve done for me. .. what you’ve turned your back on, for me,” I whisper. “I know. I know how you feel
about me.”
He gazes down at me, his eyes wide and panicked, and all we can hear is the steady stream of water as it flows over us in the shower.
“You love me,” I whisper.(James195)
From this quotation, it explainsChristian’s fear of love. He doesnot believe of love because of his horrific childhood. In his childhood, he never gets love from anyone especially love from his birth mother. So, because of that condition he never believes about love, and he also does not love himself. In this condition Anastasia tries to explain to him that now he is a lovely man and all of people love him too. Anastasia forces to try touch him.
He’s tossing and turning, writhing in agony. No! He cries out again, and the eerie, devastating sound lances through me anew. Shit—a nightmare! “Christian!” I lean over him, grab his shoulders, and shake him awake. He
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“You left, you left, you must have left,” he mumbles—his wide-eyed stare
becoming accusatory—and he looks so lost, it wrenches at my heart. Poor Fifty.
“I’m here.” I sit down on the bed beside him. “I’m here,” I murmur softly
in an effort to reassure him. I reach out to place my palm on the side of his face, trying to soothe him (James 341)
This quotation explains about Christian’s conditionafter getting a nightmare.This condition shows Christian’s fear ofsuffering from losing
Anastasia. He loves Anastasia so much. So, that is why he is so afraid to loss her. One of his fears besides being touched is losing someone that he really loves. Losing someone makes him remember his trauma of losing his mother. His mother died in front of him, so this is why he never wants to loss someone again.
3.3. The Effect towardChristian’sCharacter
Childhood traumatic experience can influence the growth of children. How the trauma influence of children’s characteristicin their future. In this story, Christian Grey has some characteristics that formed because of his trauma. Some of those can make Christian has positive effect, but some others can make
negative effect.
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because his character formed by his childhood traumatic experiences. Those can be explained as follow below.
3.3.1. Bossy
Christian Grey is a young successful billionaire who runs his own
company, Grey Enterprise. He is described as being domineering and bossy. This personality can be seen through his command to Anastasia Steel.
“Open the lipstick,” he orders.
Oh, he’s in über-bossy mode, but I don’t care.
“Give me your hand.”
I give him my other hand.
“The one with the lipstick.” He rolls his eyes at me.
“Are you rolling your eyes at me?”
“Yep.”(James 117)
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“I like control, Ana, and around you that just”—he stands, his gaze
intense—“evaporates.” He waves his hand vaguely, then runs it through his hair and takes a deep breath. He clasps my hand.
“Come, we need to talk, and you need to eat.” (James 27)
Christian is fully aware that he loves to take control. In the chapter one in this novel, when Anastasia and Christian have a dinner, he explains to her that he likes to control. It means that he wants to take control through possession.
“Please, can we stay longer?”
“No. Go. Now. Say good-bye.”
I glare at him, my blood boiling. Mr. Damned Control Freak. Angry is good. Angry is better than tearful.
I drag my gaze away from him and scan the room for José. He’s talking to
a group of young women. I stalk off toward him and away from Fifty. Just because he brought me here, I have to do as he says? Who the hell does he think he is? (James 25)
This quotation shows clearly through Christian’s dialog expression to
Anastasia Steel. Being bossy and taking control means that Christian tends to tell other people what to do.
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3.3.2. Overprotective
Christian Grey in this story is so overprotective to Anastasia Steel. This personality is seen through actions that he has done in the story. There are some events along the story line that show the overprotective actions.
Crap.“Hello, Christian. Yes, it’s nice to see you, too.”
“I don’t want your smart mouth now. Answer me.” His eyes blaze.
Holy shit.“Um. . . I had a yogurt at lunchtime. Oh—and a banana.” “When did you last have a proper meal?” he asks acidly.
Taylor slips into the driver’s seat, starts the car, and pulls out into the traffic.I glance up and Jack is waving at me, though how he can see me through the dark glass, I don’t know. I wave back.
“Who’s that?” Christian snaps.
“My boss.” I peek up at the beautiful man beside me, and his mouth is
pressed into a hard line. (James 13)
One event that shows his overprotective can be found when he commands Anastasia Steel to eat something. Here Christian is always control what has Anastasia’s meal. The reason why heforces Anastasia to have a meal is because when he was still with his birth mother he often feels hungry, and also while he was beside his mother when she died, he did not eat anything for four days.
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mother died in front of him. He also wants to protect his lover from someone that wants to hurt her like the pimp that always hurt his mother in his childhood.
I don’t want to argue. Anyway he’s right—what the hell do I know about
all his shit? Do I even want to know? I can list the salient points—his control freakier, his possessiveness, his jealousy, his overprotectiveness— and I completely understand where he’s coming from. I can even understand why he doesn’t like to be touched—I’ve seen the physical
scars. I can only imagine the mental ones, and I’ve only glimpsed his
nightmares once (James 421).
From this quotation, it shows that Anastasia’s view of Christian’s
character. She feels that he is a control freak, possessive, jealousy, overprotective. She completely knows and understands him with all of his cruel character. She knows why all of his character formed and she always tries to be patient with him.
“Yes, I will buy that company, too.” He is adamant.
I scowl at him again. I am in a no-win situation here. “Don’t you think you’re being a tad overprotective?”
“Yes. I am fully aware of how this looks.”
“Paging Dr. Flynn,” I murmur.
He puts down his empty bowl and gazes at me impassively. I sigh. I don’t
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This quotation is taken from the scene when Christian and Anastasia have cook together in Anastasia’sapartment. She is arguing with him because he buys the company where Anastasia works. She is mad at him because he buys that company without discussing with her and she is suspicious why he is so overprotective to her until he buys the company where she works.
3.3.3. Sadistic
Christian Grey is also described as a sadist person.Sadistic personality is characterized by an individual’s pattern of cruel, harsh, aggressive, intimidating,
humiliating, and demeaning behavior (Levesque 2445). Those characteristics included the use of cruelty or violence for the purpose of establishing dominance in a relationship; humiliating or demeaning people in the presence of others, unusually harsh treatment or discipline of someone under their control, being amused or taking pleasure in the psychological suffering of others, lying for the purpose of haring or inflicting pain on others, frightening others to get what they want out of them, restricting the autonomy of those with whom they have
relationships, and fascination violence, weapons, martial arts, injury, or torture.
It means by having this personality, Christian tends to live his life the way he wants. He likes to whip and hits little brown-haired girl like his birth mother. That is the reason why all of his submissive have brown hair.
He takes a deep breath and swallows. “I’m a sadist, Ana. I like to whip
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whore—my birth mother. I’m sure you can guess why.” He says it in a rush as if he’s had the sentence in his head for days and days and is
desperate to be rid of it. My world stops.Oh no.
This is not what I expected. This is bad. Really bad. I gaze at him, trying to understand the implication of what he’s just said. It does explain why
we all look the same.
My immediate thought is that Leila was right—“Master is dark.” (James 329 - 330)
This quotation is taken from the scene when Christian and Anastasia argue after they meet Leila. He opens his darker secret that he is a sadist and a dominant as well. So, this is the reason why he hits her like a wrecking ball and all of his needs of whipping and caning. His sadist personality is formed because of the abusive from her mother’spimp and also Elena when he is in adolescent.
This personality is formed because of his childhood trauma when he sees his mother that is motionless while her pimp hits and shouts at her. This is the reason why all of his submissive has brown-hair because he wants to look for someone who looks like his mother and he can hurt and wound them like his birth mother without their resistance.
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CHAPTER 4
Conclusion
Christian Grey is the main character in the E. L. James’s novel,Fifty Shades Darker. He is an attractive and a young successful entrepreneur who lives
in Seattle. The character of Christian Grey is shown byshowingof his own explanation in his dialogue with Anastasia and Anastasia’s explanation point of
view. He has some characteristics that formed because of his trauma. Childhood traumatic experience can influence the growth of children. How the trauma influence of children’s characteristic.From his dialogue with Anastasia, it is known that Christian has dark childhood memories. He lives with his mother who is a whore and never knows who his father is.
From the analysis in advance, Christian is an unloved child. He is never receives love from his birth mother. Christian is still in four at that time but his life is always in fear and starvation. Sometimes one ofhis mother’spimps comes to his house to hit them and his mother could not protect him from that pimp. That violence makes some scars that mark his skin on his chest and his back. This is the reason why he does not like to be touched. Touch means a hard limit for him.
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him about hard sex and BDSM (Bondage, Discipline-Dominance, Submission-Sadism, and Masochism), how to be a dominant and take a control in everything in this world and also how to get satisfaction by hurting someone. She makes him to be more confident and brave in front of other people but she also contributes to makes his bad characters that always like to control and could not bear to be touched.
Hysteria is the result of a traumatic experience, one that cannot be
integrated into the person's understanding of the world or the result of a traumatic childhood experience. There are 2 conditions that must be at work for an event to give rise to hysteria:
a. Suitability(or appropriateness) of an event to serve as a cause of the symptoms. In other words, the symptom must fit the cause.
b. The traumatic forceof an event must be powerful enough for it to act as the cause of hysteria.
In suitability, there is an event as a cause of the symptoms from Christian’s trauma, the condition when Anastasia tries to explain that he is a
lovely man and he all of people love him too. This story tellsabout Christian’s fear of love. He does not believe love because of his horrific childhood. When he is child he never gets from anyone especially love from his birth mother. So, this is the reason of Christian’s condition that cannot believe love and he also does not
M a r i t t a |41
she makes him believe that he never be alone again and he can see that he receives a lot of love from his family and also from her.
While in the traumatic force, there isan event must be powerful enough for it to act as the cause of hysteria. The event is when Anastasia tries to touch and kisses his chest. It makes him remember of his past when the pimp hits him and burn his chest with cigarette. When Anastasia touches his chest, his expression changes into full of fear and dark. This is the reason why this is so hard for him to receive a touch at his chest and his back especially on his burn scars.
The effect after getting trauma makes him have some bad characters. In this novel, Christian describes as being domineering and bossy. His bossy character is created because of Elena, after he becomes her submissive. Elena makes him to see his world in another perspective. He has total control over other people. The other characters that formed because of his trauma are overprotective. Christian in this story is so overprotective to Anastasia. His overprotective
character has shown when he commands Anastasia to eat something healthy. The reason why he forces Anastasia to have a meal is because when he was child and still with his birth mother he often feels hungry and when he was in his mother’s
side when she died, he did not eat anything for four days. The other reason is because he wants to protect Anastasia, he does not want to see her wounded and loss her like he loses his birth mother.
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