SEXUAL ASSAULT AS GENDER AND CLASS OPPRESSION
IN E.L. JAMES
’
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
AMADEA MOUSKOURI DA LEO Student Number: 134214001
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
SEXUAL ASSAULT AS GENDER AND CLASS OPPRESSION
IN E.L. JAMES
’
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
AMADEA MOUSKOURI DA LEO Student Number: 134214001
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
KEEP HOLDING ON
‗CAUSE I KNOW YOU‘LL
MAKE IT THROUGH
I dedicate this work for myself; for
not feeling ashamed of being a
woman, for being braver than I
was before, for always being
grateful because I was born as I
am.
And, for my Little Monster,
Franklin for staying in my heart
and fills the empty space of it.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The first thing I want to state is my grateful to Lord Jesus for what He has
done to me in my life. Because of His blessings and grace, I can finish my study.
A thousand thanks are dedicated to Him for everything that I can finish and
achieve.
I would like to say thank you to Ms. Sri Mulyani, Ph.D., as my thesis
advisor, a thousand thanks are given to her because she has guided me to finish
the thesis. From her, I was motivated to finish my thesis and to do my best to be a
Sarjana Sastra. I would like to say thank you to Ms. Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani,
M.Hum., as my co-advisor. She has given good advice for making my work
better.
In this project, I want to express my gratitude to my parents. They give
love and motivation to me. Because of them, I can finish what I thought was hard
and difficult.
The last, but not least, it is my obligation to say thank you for all my
friends. They are all amazing for encouraging me to be diligent and to finish my
study sooner. Thank you so much for believing me that I can finish my study in
time.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
C. Review of Related Backgrounds ... 18
D. Theoretical Framework ... 19 A. The Portrayal of Anastasia Steele ... 24
B. The Portrayal of Christian Grey ... 37
C. Sexual Assault as Gender and Class Oppression ... 46
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 57
ABSTRACT
DA LEO, AMADEA MOUSKOURI. SEXUAL ASSAULT AS GENDER AND
CLASS OPPRESSION IN E.L. JAMES’ FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
Gender and class oppression are experienced by women because women are seen to be the second ones from their gender division in whichever class they are from. From gender perspective, men are considered strong and powerful, while women are weak and powerless. From class perspective, upper class people have more privilege and power to control others, while the rest do not have the same power with the upper class people.
There are two objectives of the study. The first is how the two main characters, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, are presented in terms of gender and class difference in E.L. James‘ Fifty Shades of Grey. The second is how sexual assault experienced by Anastasia Steele and conducted by Christian Grey is viewed as gender and class oppression in E.L. James‘ Fifty Shades of Grey.
As the primary source, the library research method is applied to find the appropriate theory and to review other related studies. Not only from the library, but also from the reliable internet website the writer collects the data to support the findings of the final project.
The writer finds the main female character, Anastasia Steele, is described as a woman who brings gender stereotype. She is portrayed as devoted and submissive to Grey. Meanwhile, Grey is portrayed as powerful and controlling man. His masculinity is shown through his total control over Steele, using sex and punishments in the relationship. Besides, both of them are portrayed in class difference. While Grey is a successful entrepreneur employing a thousand employers, Steele is a college student working part-time as an employee. The
difference is also portrayed through their lifestyle and money, showing Grey‘s superiority and Steele‘s inferiority. It makes Steele‘s condition become powerless because she does not have power to oppose him. Grey, as the upper class man, takes benefit from the relationship which is sex. It is emphasized more by the BDSM contract he offers to Steele as a symbol of his power to legalize him in exploiting her sexuality and controlling her life. It is done by the support of his gender power and class power. Thus, what Grey has done to her is called sexual
ABSTRAK
DA LEO, AMADEA MOUSKOURI. SEXUAL ASSAULT AS GENDER AND
CLASS OPPRESSION IN E.L. JAMES’ FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017.
Penekanan berlandaskan gender dan kelas dialami oleh wanita karena wanita dipandang sebagai orang kelas dua berdasarkan pembagian gender dari kelas manapun. Dari sudut pandang gender, kaum pria dianggap kuat dan memiliki kekuatan, sementara kaum wanita dianggap lemah dan tak berdaya. Dari sudut pandang kelas, orang kelas atas dianggap memiliki hak istimewa dan kekuatan yang lebih untuk mengontrol orang lain, namun sebaliknya orang yang bukan dari kelas atas tidak memiliki kekuatan yang sama dengan orang kelas atas.
Dalam skripsi ini terdapat dua tujuan yang dicapai. Yang pertama untuk menemukan bagaimana kedua karakter utama, Christian Grey dan Anastasia Steele, digambarkan dalam perbedaan gender dan kelas dalam Fifty Shades of Grey karya E.L. James. Yang kedua untuk menemukan bagaimana kekerasan seksual yang dialami oleh Anastasia Steele dan dilakukan oleh Christian Grey dilihat sebagai hasil dari penekanan secara gender dan kelas dalam Fifty Shades of Grey karya E.L. James.
Sebagai sumber utama dalam penelitian ini, dilakukan studi pustaka untuk mencari dan menemukan teori yang tepat dan meninjau ulang penelitian terkait. Tidak hanya dari studi pustaka, namun juga data dicari dari website internet yang terpercaya untuk mendukung penemuan dalam tugas akhir ini.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Equality and emancipation are two related things connected to women‘s
liberation. Women are human beings and part of the society. However, in
patriarchal societies women are not equal to men. Men see that their place is in
public, while women‘s place is at home to do domestic jobs. The division in their
roles is based on the natural facts that women‘s life is related to pregnancy, giving
birth, breast-feeding, and having period. Those things are considered to weaken
their physical condition. Men, compared to women, do not experience the things,
thus they feel they have more freedom and physical power to be outside the home.
It becomes common to consider men‘s role is primary, while women‘s role is only
to support men.
So, for example, patriarchal society uses certain facts about male and female biology (chromosomes, anatomy, hormones) as the basis for constructing a set of masculine and feminine gender identities and behaviors that serve to empower men and disempower women. (Tong, 2009:51)
In addition to gender relation, there is also class relation that is significant
to discuss in this study. The presences of women, in term of gender, are regarded
as the ones in the second positions. They are weak and subjected to sexual
matters. Furthermore, they are more subjected and subordinated when related to
class, whereas men are the first. It is shown clearly when women have to deal with
their low social class in society.
In the division of class itself, the upper class have power and privilege in
society. The upper class control the main production process, the government, and
the important assets in society. They are politically, economically, and socially
strong. On the other hand, the rest class do not have the same power with them.
Their roles are to follow the upper class‘ rules and to work for them. In addition,
the upper class can oppress the rest class in order to get the benefit from them and
to maintain their own power.
In James‘ Fifty Shades of Grey, the main male character, Christian Grey
approaches Anastasia Steele using his class power, in terms of his earthly wealth,
money, and luxury to give everything she needs and likes, so that he can easily
control her. Having her under his class power, he takes benefit of her by using her
body as he wants. Using his masculine power, he makes her body a tool to please
his sexual needs anytime he wants, he controls her behavior and makes her
submissive. Furthermore, he punishes her whenever he thinks it is needed to make
her obedient and not dare to oppose him. Thus, Anastasia Steele experiences both
gender and class oppression in her relation to Christian Grey.
E.L. James‘ Fifty Shades of Grey presents gender and class issues through
the idea of gender and social class differences reflected as sexual assault done by
a man towards a woman. Grey is from upper class and the owner of his company,
therefore he has power to control others. Grey is a man, thus he is related to
3
woman and in Fifty Shades of Grey, she is presented to the idea of a feminine
woman who has less power than Grey; thus, she is seen as the subordinate. She is
not even from the upper class. She does not have the same power to be equal or to
oppose him.
The writer tries to analyze sexual assault as gender and class oppression
which is reflected through the character Anastasia Steele in E.L. James‘ Fifty
Shades of Grey. This study aims to analyze the gender and class oppression as
sexual assault done by Grey towards Steele.
B. Problem Formulation
The writer uses two related questions as the problems formulation to be discussed.
1. How are the two main characters, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele,
presented in terms of gender and class difference in E.L. James‘ Fifty Shades
of Grey?
2. How is sexual assault experienced by Anastasia Steele and conducted by
Christian Grey viewed as gender and class oppression in E.L. James‘ Fifty
C. Objectives of the Study
This study aims to analyze sexual assault as gender and class oppression,
experienced by Anastasia Steele and conducted by Christian Grey, in E.L. James‘
Fifty Shades of Grey. The first objective of the study is to reveal how the two
main characters are presented in terms of class and gender differences in the story.
The second objective of the study is to explore and examine how sexual assault is
viewed as class and gender oppression, experienced by Anastasia Steele and
conducted by Christian Grey.
D. Definition of Terms
In this part, the writer mentions some of the terms related to the topic
which need to be defined.
1. Sexual Assault
―Sexual assault is any type of forced or coerced sexual contact or behavior
that happens without consent‖ (Basile et al, 2015: 1). Sexual assault refers to the
sexual act which is abnormal in the context that it causes an inequality,
disadvantages, harm, and a serious side-effect (could be physically or
psychologically) towards the victim. The act of sexual assault includes rape,
sexual harassment, and sexual exploitation. The victim is usually women and the
doer is usually men because of gender stereotype in society that sees women as
5
2. Class
Followers of the sociologist Max Weber tend to say class when they‘re talking about the amount of money you have and the kind of leverage it gives you; they say status when they mean your social prestige in relation to your audience; and they say party when they‘re measuring how much political power you have, that is, how much built-in resistance you have to being pushed around by shits. By class I mean all three, with perhaps extra emphasis on status. (Fussell, 1992: 24)
The definition of class, according to Fussell, refers the money, prestige
(how they are seen and regarded by the society), and party to show in what kind of
a group they belong to. The class is also emphasized by status, which refers to
his/her occupation in society to show his/her influence towards others.
3. Gender
Gender is a social construction which is related to one‘s sex.
In a similar vein, Stoller used the term ‗gender‘ to signal the complexities
of those ‗tremendous areas of behavior, feelings, thoughts, and fantasies
that are related to the sexes and yet do not have primarily biological
connotations‘. (Glover and Kaplan, 2000: xx)
Gender divides the role between male and female and determines what
should each sex does based on their sex yet has no specific biological relationship
with their sex.
4. Gender Oppression
―Gender oppression is the individual acts of abuse and violence, patterns
of power and control, and systems of abuse and violence perpetrated against
by a man towards a woman because of her gender. In patriarchal society, a man is
supposed to be the superior in order to be masculine. Thus, he can use abuse and
violence as symbols of his power towards a woman to prove his masculinity.
5. Class Oppression
The oppression of the working class is, in essence, its exclusion from political, economic and social power. In order for there to be a ruling class, there must be an oppressed class. Class is about power: the power to shape our world and our lives. (Muldoon, 2015)
Class oppression does not focus only on the division in economic system,
but it also focuses on the power of a certain class towards the other. The power is
the ruling class‘ ability to maintain their position and interest by making the
working class see that they deserve the oppression because they are excluded from
political, economic, and social power. Thus, the working class see the oppression
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
Fifty Shades of Grey is the first book of the Fifty Shades trilogy written by
E.L James. Her very first book of the Fifty Shades trilogy is a best-seller book
despite of its controversy of containing an erotic romance story. James‘ Fifty
Shades of Grey is an interesting book for it tells a man who uses a woman‘s body
as a tool to please his sexual needs and uses punishment to make her scared of
resisting him and keep her in his hands.
In this part, the writer gives three reviews of related studies which have
been done by other people. The first is from ―The Objectification of Women as
Seen through Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James‖ by F.X
Natanael Nonon Erta Putri Intan Permatasari. The second is from ―Christian Grey
and Anastasia Steele‘s Sexual Abnormality in E.L James‘ Fifty Shades of Grey”
by Dewa Made Pinta Bilyarta. The third is an article entitled ―A Heated Debate:
Theoretical Perspectives of Sexual Exploitation and Sex Work‖ by Lara Gerassi.
The first is from Permatasari‘s study which finds that there is an
objectification of women seen in the Novel Fifty Shades of Grey. In her study, she
explains that the objectification of women exists because of the patriarchal
system. The system makes women to be used as tools for men, especially to give
act degrades women into a lower part than men. The theory she applies is
Radical-Cultural Feminism. She applies the theory from Nussbaum, the seven notions, to
conduct her research. The seven notions are instrumentality, denial autonomy,
inertness, fungibility, violability, ownership, and denial subjectivity. Applying the
seven notions, Permatasari finds that objectification of women happens to
Anastasia Steele because her characteristics fulfill the seven notions.
First, Steele has instrumentality in herself. Instrumentality means that she
is regarded as the tool for sexual purposes. She fulfills this first objectification
because of her beauty, sexual attraction, and age. Second, in denial autonomy, she
cannot control herself and depends on someone else, and therefore she allows
Grey to control her. Third, she is made to be passive and has no strength
compared to Grey which is counted as inertness. Fourth, fungibility refers to
someone who can be replaced. Steele fulfills this notion because she is the same
with the former fifteen submissives. Fifth, in violability, someone is objectified to
be violable, and Steele is described as abused by Grey. Sixth, the ownership
notion matches with Steele in the context that she is considered as something
owned by Grey. The last, in denial subjectivity, Steele‘s feeling is not counted and
ignored.
Permatasari‘s study is different from the writer‘s because the writer uses
Gender Perspective and Theory of Class in the study. The writer focuses on how
sexual assault is viewed as gender and class oppression, experienced by Anastasia
9
The second one is from Bilyarta‘s study. In his study, he finds that there is
an abnormality of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele‘s sexual behavior. Using
the Psychological Approach, he reveals that the characteristics of both Grey and
Steele contribute to the sexual abnormality. Grey is described as a person who is
dominating, sex-addicted, and cruel. He likes to have sex based on BDSM
relationship, which guarantees him to play dominant-submissive role. By doing
so, he is able to take control over his submissive and inflict pain to her to gain his
sexual pleasure. His characteristics contribute to support his sadism. Meanwhile,
Steele is described as a person with characteristics of defeating,
self-sacrificing, and insecure. She often feels that she does not deserve good things,
therefore it is acceptable for her to receive the pain. She also would like to
sacrifice herself for others and do whatever others want her to do. Her
self-sacrificing characteristics contribute well for her to be a masochist.
Further, Bilyarta explains that having a BDSM relationship reflects that
both of the characters are sadomasochism. Grey, as the dominant, likes to give
pain to Steele to gain sexual pleasure. Steele, as the submissive, enjoys receiving
the pain given by Grey, in order to maintain their relationship. From this point, it
can be seen that the writer‘s study is different from Bilyarta‘s. Bilyarta focuses on
the characteristics of both main characters which contribute to their sexual
abnormality, called sadomasochism. The writer‘s, instead, focuses on how sexual
assault is viewed as gender and class oppression, experienced by Anastasia Steele
The third one is an article by Lara Gerassi, titled ―A Heated Debate:
Theoretical Perspectives of Sexual Exploitation and Sex Work‖. In her writing,
Gerassi reviews and discusses some theories which provide the explanation of
how sexual exploitation and sex work likely happen to women on macro
perspective and structural level, related to economic condition and status. One of
the theories she mentions is Marxist feminist, to help explain how the sexual
exploitation and sex work likely happen to women.
The political system and economic system in a male-dominated society
does not support women fully to gain their equality. In a male-dominated society,
it is men who take control of the political and economic system.
―The patriarchal organization of both government and society has provided a social context for the widespread sexist acceptance of hierarchy, thereby excluding women from the public sector, higher education, structural labor
forces, and religious institutions.‖ (Gerassi, 2015: 2)
In this context, it is clear that women‘s proper place is designated to be at
home, while the men‘s proper place is outside the home. Women are subordinated
to men and this factor continues to support the dependency of women on men in
the economic context. This dependency gives men such a more power to control
women sexually or non-sexually because to be dependent needs women‘s
subordination. ―Thus, assaults occur primarily because of institutionalized male
privilege, as men believe it is their right to enact violence against women‖
(Gerassi, 2015: 2). In addition, the act of exploiting or assaulting women has
possibility to happen since men are seen more independent and powerful in
11
Garassi states that Marxist feminist agrees that capitalism oppresses
women to be in lower class than men‘s class since they will live under patriarchy
and economically are not independent. Class difference and dependency force
them to allow men to take their power away from them. In addition, women use
their sexuality, in some cases (like being a prostitute, sex worker, and other
related works) because they need to survive.
Women's sexuality and sexual energy is appropriated by the men who buy or control the sexual services exchange (i.e., pimps) just as any worker's energy is appropriated to the capitalists for their profits, leading to alienation of one's bodily capacities and very bodily being. (Gerassi, 2015: 3)
Therefore, women would likely experience alienation due to the
possibilities of men as capitalists to take profits from women as workers. The
exploitation, whether in domestic or public sphere, can happen because of the
contribution of the class oppression in economic system.
B. Review of Related Theories
In this part, the writer discusses the theories applied in the thesis to answer
and analyze the problems formulation.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Theory of character and characterization is applied to the thesis because
this theory is important to reveal and identify the persons being told and engaged
in the story for a better and deeper analysis. A character is a person, can be the
major or minor, who is being told and engaged throughout the story. As it is
Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being 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. (Abrams, 1999: 32)
Then, the way the persons are described, told, and reflected in the story is
a characterization. ―A broad distinction is frequently made between alternative
methods for characterizing (i.e., establishing the distinctive characters of) the
persons in a narrative: showing and telling‖ (Abrams, 1999: 33). Showing refers
to the way the author presents a character through his/her words in dialogs and
action. Telling refers to the way the author values a character, by stating the
characteristics or commentary towards the character‘s manner, action, or
conversation.
Getting to know better about what kind of a character described in the
story and the way they are described helps the writer to make analysis.
2. Revisiting Gender Perspective
Gender is a system which is culturally or socially shaped based on the sex
to refer to what is appropriate for each sex in the life within society. In other side,
it can be said that gender is socially constructed, not natural, but often considered
as something natural.
13
The explanation about gender above emphasizes the point that there is a
doubt of belief that gender is natural. It is more related to social system and
concept. Therefore, gender has no biological relationship since it is constructed by
social values and cultures.
Gender constructs behavior, expectation, and role in the interaction and
within situations. It limits ones‘ choice, especially for women because once they
realize the difference between their sexes from others, they begin to act and
behave as what society teaches them so.
Of course, it is a testimony to our culture‘s deep commitment to gender
differentiation that people are so careful to follow social rules about how males and females should dress, wear their hair, gesture, and thus present themselves in a manner that clearly indicates their sex. (Ridgeway, 1993: 183)
There are expectations from society towards men and women. For
example, the figure of women is supposed to be calm, motherly, beautiful, and
function as men‘s property whereas men are supposed to be active, independent,
controlling, and served by women. The idea of being a gentle man, related to
noble, authority and respect, free, fearless, and determined. These expectations
shape both men and women‘s psychology and they always bring these ideas to
determine their action or how they should present themselves in the society.
Gender-role is part of both men and women have to play in the interactions
and within situations. It shows what each of them should do in their interactions.
In the interactions, men learn to be instrumental, so as to say to be goal and
task-directed, while women learn to be social, expressive, and more related to
women to be less interested in the instrumental act and it contributes to women‘s
behavior in society. ―He points out that it is ‗inadequate…to make masculine
behaviour coincide with activity and feminine with passitivity….‖ (Glover and
Kaplan, 2000: 2). It gives disadvantages for women and taken for granted by men
since it supports men to have rights over the women, while women do not even
have rights to power themselves or the men. Within the situations, there are
beliefs, which associate gender with specific skills, about the idea that men will be
more able than women in most situations.
When one realizes that s/he has different sex, then gender is activated. By
knowing their different gender, women and men have expectations for themselves
and from others. Therefore, gender could be said as the basis for women and
men‘s act and performance. Further, context plays important role in determining
the gender. It takes women to realize in what particular context or situation she is
in and lead her to take an appropriate behavior according to the context or
situation, but it cannot be detached from the presence of her realization of her
identity such as race and class and other person‘s identity too.
3. Theory of Class
In America, as the capitalist society, people are believed to be divided into
class system. However, people are not just divided into two classes; the rich and
the poor or the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, yet it is more complicated because
in the society there are some distinctive layers, which cannot just be defined as
15
easily. ―The point is that money alone doesn‘t define them, for the way they have
their money is largely what matters‖ (Fussell, 1992: 29). Therefore, there is one
other important thing supporting the division of class, it is how they get their
money which refers to their jobs in society, what kind of job they have is more
important than the amount of money they get out of it.
According to Fussell, people are divided into 9 divisions of class based on
the way they earn their money. There are top out-of-sight, upper, upper-middle,
middle, high proletarian, mid-proletarian, low proletarian, destitute, and bottom
out-of-sight.
Top out-of-sight people refer to those who inherit money and business
from their parents or grand-grandparents. ―The top out-of-sight class
(Rockefellers, Pews, DuPonts, Mellons, Fords, Vanderbilts) lives on inherited
capital entirely‖ (Fussell, 1992: 29). People from the top out-of-sight group do not
earn their own money from their own effort and struggle, yet they inherit the
wealth or called as rich-born. Besides, they are also ‗invisible‘ and hardly
recognized.
Their houses are never seen from the street or road. They like to hide away deep in the hills or way off on Greek or Caribbean islands (which they tend to own), safe, for the moment, from envy and its ultimate attendants, confiscatory taxation and finally expropriation. (Fussell, 1992: 30)
Their invisibility is derived from their attempt to not to expose themselves
in richness in public. They tend to hide somewhere where people cannot easily
find them.
Upper class refers to those who inherit money but also earn it and they are
usually from some attractive, if slight, work,…‖ (Fussell, 1992: 31). The upper
class people, though they are rich-born, they still have to work to earn money to
maintain their life. Their jobs are varied, such as controlling banks and historic
corporations, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Foreign Policy Association,
and the Senate (Fussell, 1992: 31). They have high positions, often considered the
prestigious ones because they occupy the highest place and have control towards
others. Their presence is visible because their presence can be seen from their
houses. Upper class people‘s houses are big and have a lot of bedrooms, showing
their social status as the upper class which easily recognized by the society.
Upper-middle class refers to those who may inherit money, but suffers
from a bourgeois sense of shame that live on the earnings of others is not quite
nice (Russell, 1992: 33). It means that upper-middle class is one level lower than
upper class. Their jobs have more dependency on others, they participate in some
fields like, law, medicine, oil, or selling and buying artworks, but still they earn
money a lot.
Middle-class refers to those working with specific skills and education
background in certain company. They are people working according to their skills
and education background, such as the geologist, the computer programmer, or
the aeronautical engineer. They earn money from their salary which is much more
than the workers.
The high proles refers to those working with specific skills and require
them to work professionaly. ―The high proles are the skilled workers, craftsmen,
17
working as the employee, like bus driver and operator, but they are also afraid of
losing their jobs. Usually, their salary is relatively small. The last categorized
prole is low proles, refers to those with unskilled labor. Both of mid-proles and
low proles are supervised by their supervisor. ―These are the people who feel
bitter about their work, often because they are closely, supervised and regulated
and generally treated like wayward children‖ (Fussell, 1992: 47). It means that
both of mid-proles and low proles receive demands more often from their
supervisor and are controlled by the supervisors. They have less power because
they cannot control the production process and request the amount of their salary.
4. Revisiting Class and Gender Oppression Relation
In the society, there are two oppressed groups; they are women and the
lower working class people. Women are related to gender system and working
class people are related to classism. However, there is intersection between
women oppression and class oppression.
Firstly, women are oppressed to be obedient and to be dependent on men.
They are oppressed to do domestic jobs, like cooking, washing, rising and taking
care of children, and serving their husbands. A research about the expectation of
boys and girls conducted by Ruth Hartley proves that gender division at work
does happen. From the research, it is proved that young male respondents argue
that women‘s ability to work is indeed limited to domestic jobs. ―Women do
things like cooking and washing and sewing because that‘s all they can do‖
women to be less valuable than them in patriarchal society and it makes women
are risky of domestic violence done by their husbands.
Secondly, those who are from the top three upper class group control the
production process, the government, and other important fields in society. They
have money and position which make them powerful. The upper class can oppress
the lower working class in order to gain their own interest, to take benefit, and to
maintain their positions in society.
Thirdly, the intersection between women oppression and class oppression
happens because women, from whichever class they are from, are always
considered to be the second ones because of their sex. Then, the oppression is
interconnected. In patriarchal society, women from every class are oppressed
because they have to follow the rules set by men in society. Men are placed to be
the leader and women are the followers. However, lower working class women
experience more oppression because they are oppressed because of their gender
and their social class.
C. Review of Related Backgrounds
This sub-part discusses the review of the biographical background of the
author in writing Fifty Shades of Grey. As the author, E.L. James writes the story
of Fifty Shades of Grey because of being inspired by Twilight. Fifty Shades of
Grey was firstly published on James‘ private website and was not entitled as Fifty
Shades of Grey. It was firstly published as a fan fiction and entitled Masters of the
19
―At that time, she began writing fanfiction inspired by the Twilight vampire fiction series written by Stephenie Meyer. Using the pen name "Snowqueen's Icedragon," James wrote her own stories featuring the Twilight characters Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. The novel that Leonard shaped out of these stories, titled Masters of the Universe, appeared online in installments on several websites.‖ (Biography.com, February 27, 2017)
However, James changed the two main characters‘ names in her work into
Anastasia and Christian Grey as it appeared to be more famous and got a lot of
readers. James‘ work on the fan fiction still has difference from the original work
done by Stephenie Meyer. Though the story tells about the innocent woman who
falls in love with a man who has hidden sides of his life and how the man can
finally ―change‖ the woman to be more like him, James‘ work exhibits more
sexual activity which is Sadomasochism.
D. Theoretical Framework
To conduct this study, the theory of character and characterization, gender
perspective, theory of class, and the perspective of gender and class oppression
relation perspective are applied. Because the topic of the study is sexual assault as
gender and class oppression, the theories contribute to help finding the answers of
the problems formulation.
The theory of character and characterization is needed to reveal the
characteristics of both of the main characters, Anastasia Steele and Christian
Grey. The theory is appropriate to answer the first problem formulation.
Therefore, by knowing and understanding more about the characteristics of the
in terms of gender and class difference throughout the story through their action,
behavior, dialogs, thought, and commentary from other characters.
Gender perspective, theory of class, and supported by gender and class
oppression relation perspective are help to find out why sexual assault is seen to
be the result of gender and class oppression. The perspective of the theories help
to reveal why gender and class difference finally lead to the imbalance power
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of the study is Fifty Shades of Grey written by E.L. James. The
novel was first published in 2011 by The Writer‘s Coffee Shop Publishing House.
The story is fiction, more about erotic-romance of the main characters‘ life. Fifty
Shades of Grey is the first serial of the Fifty Shades Trilogy. There are Fifty
Shades of Grey as the first serial, Fifty Shades of Darker as the second, and Fifty
Shades of Freed as the third. Fifty Shades of Grey was filmed by the director Sam
Taylor-Johnson and released in 2015.
The story is about a billionaire named Christian Grey who meets Anastasia
Steele in the interview for the campus magazine. Afterwards, Grey is interested in
Steele and tries to approach her. Steele, sees him as the ideal figure of a man, falls
in love with him. However, their relationship is run and dominated by Grey
because he is the one who gives order intentionally, controls, and determines what
Steele should do for their relationship. Within their relationship, Grey is the active
one, while Steele is the passive one.
Grey is interested in a different kind of relationship. He intends to have
sexual relationship with her to fulfill his pleasure and she must agree with him
whenever and wherever he wants to do it. He wants to have a BDSM (Bondage
relationship with her. In relationship, Steele is the Submissive and Grey is the
Dominant. A Submissive is the Dominant‘s property that must receive everything
done by her Dominant, obey him, and take his order, if not; there will be
punishment for her.
B. Approach of the Study
The approach of the study is Gender Studies Approach, discussing about
gender and the contribution of class in women‘s oppression. As explained in A
Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, gender studies helps to
understand the portrayal of the female and male characters in the story.
Furthermore, gender studies helps to explain why the oppression is experienced
by the female character rather than the male character. However, in gender
studies, the gender trouble itself is supported by other factor, like class.
Following Michel Foucault's theory of sexuality, she means by "technology" that "sexuality, commonly thought to be a natural as well as a private matter, is in fact completely constructed in culture according to the political aims of the society's dominant class." (Guerin et al, 2005: 237)
The contribution of class helps to explain what is thought to be natural and
normal in society is actually constructed by the dominant class because they have
power in society to control and to shape the way each individual perceives the
world, especially the relation of one class to another and between the sexes. The
class system helps to reveal why the oppression is done by the dominant class
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C. Method of the Study
Close reading and library research are the methods of the study. First, E.L.
James‘ Fifty Shades of Grey is the primary resource of this study. To support this
study, library research is done to find the supporting data, theories, articles, and
other literatures. The main references are Tong‘s A Feminist Thought (2009),
Fussell‘s Class: A Guide Through the American Status System (1992),
Ridgeway‘s Gender, Status, and the Social Psychology of Expectations (1993),
Glover and Kaplan‘s Genders (2000), Abram‘s A Glossary of Literary Terms
(1999).
There were some steps done to conduct this study. First thing was the story
was read using the method of close reading to collect important and complete
data, and the problems came up afterwards. Second, the appropriate theories were
selected. The next step was answering the first problem formulation and the
second problem formulation afterwards. The first problem formulation was
answered using the theory of character and characterization. To answer the second
problem formulation, Gender Perspective, Theory of Class, and Relation between
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer answers and discusses the two problems
formulation. The first one is how the two main characters, Christian Grey and
Anastasia Steele, are presented in terms of gender and class difference in E.L.
James‘ Fifty Shades of Grey. To answer the first problem formulation, the writer
applies the theory of character and characterization. The writer focuses on the
portrayal of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey to find out how they are
presented in gender and class difference. The second one is how sexual assault
experienced by Anastasia Steele and conducted by Christian Grey is viewed as
gender and class oppression in E.L. James‘ Fifty Shades of Grey. To answer the
second problem formulation, the writer applies the theory of class, gender
perspective, and the relation between them to reveal how sexual assault
experienced by Anastasia Steele and conducted by Christian Grey is viewed as
class and gender oppression. The writer focuses on how class and gender
difference leads to the oppression and results as sexual assault.
A. The Portrayal of Anastasia Steele
This part discusses the characteristics of the female main character,
Anastasia Steele and the way she is described throughout the story as a woman, an
25
compared to Christian Grey. Anastasia Steele is a fresh graduate who falls in love
with Christian Grey. She comes from an ordinary family, while Grey comes from
a rich family. She experiences being a tool used for Grey‘s sexual pleasure. The
things which to be discussed is her portrayal as a woman, an employee, and a
lover. The portrayal of herself carries the information how she is described as the
woman, employee, and lover through her thought, action, dialog with or
commentary from other character, and the direct description from the author.
1. Anastasia Steele as a Woman
As a woman, Steele is portrayed as a devoted woman. She has willingness
to obey and be devoted to Grey. Whatever comes from him, she considers it as
something that should be done for his behalf. Furthermore, she is willing to forget
all about herself and surrender all for Grey. Her devotion to him is seen through
her thought, action, and her own statement.
In the story, there is one moment when Grey is making out with her. She
declares in her mind that she will do anything he wants. ―Why did he say he
couldn‘t make love?I will do anything he wants‖ (James, 2011: 81). The evidence
shows that she is a devoted woman because she will do anything for him even
though it is not the thing that she wants.
Her thought is supported by her action when Grey instructs her to do what
he commands. ―I do as instructed, and he reaches down and grabs the hem.
Slowly, he pulls my dress up over my thighs, my hips, my belly, my breasts, my
surrender all herself for him and to be devoted to him in any way he likes. All she
looks up is him as she reflects this by doing everything he instructs. She takes his
orders as the obligation for her to do. By doing so, she shows how a woman
should address themselves and their men. She learns how to address Grey as her
man.
Being a devoted person, Steele is also eager to put aside her feelings. She
sacrifices herself for Grey although she thinks what she does is wrong for her. She
tries to think that if the thing is right for him, then she has to take it and ignore her
feeling.
This is so… I want to think wrong, but somehow it‘s not. It‘s right for
Christian. It‘s what he wants –and after the last few days… after all he‘s
done, I have to man up and take whatever he decides he wants, whatever he thinks he needs. (James, 2011: 336)
When Steele thinks something is wrong for her, but it is right for Grey, she
tries to re-think her opinion about it. She decides to put aside her feeling and to
follow what he wants, instead. It happens because as a woman, she knows that she
has to consider Grey as her leader in the relationship and to follow him. Thus, she
begins to consider Grey‘s decision is right and important for her and the
relationship.
As a woman, Steele is portrayed as a dependent woman. Dependency
needs devotion and she is already devoted to Grey. Because she is dependent, she
cannot live alone without him. First evidence is clearly proved in Steele‘s
subconscious, ―My inner goddess is jumping up and down, clapping her hands
27
mind tells her to do anything Grey commands because there is a fear of being left
if she refuses all the things he wants.
The second evidence is also seen through her subconscious. ―The idea that
I might not see him again haunts me, unwelcome and too painful to contemplate‖
(James, 2011: 160). From the evidence, Steele shows how she considers the
relationship with Grey is very important and because of that she is afraid of losing
him. She does not want it happen since it will be so painful for her to lose him.
Tentatively, I uncurl my legs. Should I run? This is it, our relationship hangs in the balance, right here, right now. Do I let him do this or do I say
no, and then that‘s it? Because I know it will be over if I say no. Do it! My inner goddess pleads with me, my subconscious is as paralyzed as I am. (James, 2011: 192)
The quotation above emphasizes her feeling about having relationship with
Grey. She chooses to follow him so that she will not lose him. Her thought
represents her dependency because even though she wants to run from him, she
finally decides not to do so.
Her dependency on Grey basically refers to the issue of her low
self-determination. It is the ability to decide one‘s own life, the action, and the fate by
not being interfered by the others. Having low self-determination means Steele
cannot make her own decision towards their relationship. She is influenced easily
by Grey‘s manipulation or certain circumstances created intentionally by Grey.
The first evidence is seen through her hesitation about herself in his eyes.
―Is he worthy of me? That‘s an interesting concept. I always wonder whether I am
that she is worthy of him. There is hesitation in her mind about how much he
regards herself in his eyes.
The second evidence is shown after Steele has a conversation with Grey
and the paradigm shift about the contract happens to her afterwards.
―For you, Anastasia, I will try.‖ He‘s radiating sincerity.
And that‘s my cue. I unbuckle my seatbelt, reach across, and clamber into
his lap, taking him completely by surprise. Wrapping my arms around his head, I kiss him, long and hard, and in a nanosecond, he‘s responding.
―Stay with me, tonight,‖ he breathes. ―If you go away, I won‘t see
you all week. Please.‖
―Yes,‖ I acquiesce. ―And I‘ll try too. I‘ll sign your contract.‖ And it‘s a
spur of the moment decision. (James, 2011: 249)
From the situation of the conversation above, Grey‘s changing mood as
becoming tender and gentle influences her behavior and thought. It is done
intentionally by him to make her agree with him to sign the contract. As a result,
she changes her mind easily and quickly about the contract. She agrees with the
contract just in a second after she realizes his changing mood because he is
already back from his negative mood to the positive one, a good image which she
expects from him. It influences her to change her mind.
More complicated, as a woman, Steele is not brave to fight against Grey
for her rights and for equality between them. Throughout the story, Grey has a lot
of rules for Steele to follow and obey, and if she does not, there will be
punishments for her. As a result, she lives under fear and follows his rules because
she does not have bravery to fight against him to show that he is wrong for
treating her as sexual object.
29
the sofa again, head hidden under her hands. He switches on the sidelight and halts, staring at me.
―Please don‘t be angry with me,‖ I whisper. His gaze is impassive; his gray eyes cold shards of smoky glass.
―I‘m sorry about the car and the books,‖ I trail off. He remains silent and brooding.
―You scare me when you‘re angry,‖ I breathe, staring at him. (James, 2011: 185)
She shows her fear when she begs for him not to be angry, apologizes for
the things she wants to refuse, and admits her fear itself of his anger. She does it
to calm him down and to change his mood of the situation. She wants to show that
she is wrong and he is right before she has to be punished for making him angry.
The action Steele taken in front of Grey also shows her fear. Here is the
evidence taken from the story about her action after he punishes her. She does not
dare to fight against him or refuse his arrival after he has just punished her.
―Do you want me to throw this asshole out?‖ she asks, radiating thermo -nuclear hostility.
Christian raises his eyebrows at her, no doubt surprised by her flattering epithet and her feral antagonism. I shake my head, and she rolls her eyes at
me. Oh… I wouldn’t do that near Mr. G. (James, 2011: 200)
The conversation above happens right after Grey punishes Steele and
leaves her crying. Katherine, Steele‘s roommate, is very angry to him because he
dares to come back to their apartment again after making Steele cry. When
Katherine asks Steele whether she wants her to throw him out of the house, she
does not dare to say yes and she will never dare to do that to him. She accepts his
coming and lets him stay with her because it is better way to save herself from
As Steele is presented as the devoted woman, dependent woman, having
low self-determination, and having no bravery to fight against Grey, she becomes
powerless in term of gender, compared to Grey.
The first thing to be discussed about her powerlessness is related to
protection from a man because she is considered weak and cannot protect herself.
―Please, Ana, cariña,‖ he whispers against my lips. His breath is soft and
smells too sweet – of margarita and beer. He gently trails kisses along my jaw up to the side of my mouth. I feel panicky, drunk, and out of control. The feeling is suffocating.
―José, no,‖ I plead. I don‘t want this. You are my friend, and I think I‘m
going to throw up.
―I think the lady said no.‖ A voice in the dark says quietly. Holy shit! Christian Grey, he‘s here. How? José releases me.
―Grey,‖ he says tersely. I glance anxiously up at Christian. He‘s glowering at José, and he‘s furious. (James, 2011: 45)
The scene above shows how Steele, as a woman, needs protection because
she cannot protect herself when she faces danger. The act of Jose‘s force to kiss
her represents her position is powerless in front of a man. It is a reflection of the
idea that a woman is weak and can be treated that way.
Furthermore, her powerlessness is proved from the response given to the
way Grey controls her to do what she does not want to do.
―I would really like you to finish your breakfast.‖ ―What is it with you and food?‖ I blurt. His brow knits.
―I told you, I have issues with wasted food. Eat,‖ he snaps. His eyes are dark, pained.
Holy Crap. What is that all about? I pick up my fork and eat slowly, trying to chew. I must remember not to put so much on my plate if he‘s going to be weird about food. His expression softens as I carefully make my way through my breakfast. I note that he cleans his plate. He wants for me to finish, and then he clears my plate. (James, 2011: 94)
31
it is his rights to dictate what she should do. Because she is devoted to him, she
does what he asks. By finishing her meal, she shows that her position is powerless
because she is obligated to follow his rules.
Besides meal, Steele is also powerless in their relationship. One example
is taken when Grey is capable of using her body sexually.
―Stop, Ana, stop. I don‘t want to come.‖
I sit up, blinking at him, and I‘m panting like him, but confused. I thought I was in charge? My inner goddess looks like someone snatched her ice cream. (James, 2011: 187)
The scene shows how Steele is actually not capable of taking charge in the
relationship. Even though Grey says that she is the one who is in charge in their
relationship and her position should be powerful, the fact is he still takes control
over her and dominates the relationship.
As a woman, her powerlessness is seen through her crying.
―Goodbye, Christian.‖ My voice is hoarse from unbidden, unshed tears –
jeez I’m not going to cry. I give him a small smile.
As I drive away, my chest constricts, my tears start to fall, and I choke back a sob. Soon tears are streaming down my face, and I really don‘t
understand why I‘m crying. (James, 2011: 161)
Her crying is the symbol of a woman‘s weakness. She cannot force him to
give and be what she wants. However, she really wants to get more from the
relationship. She does not want to only be his sexual machine because actually it
is not something that she wants. On the other hands, Grey is a man of his words.
Once he says he cannot grant what she wants, she knows he will never be and it is
impossible for him to change his mind only for her. Hence, crying is the way to
When Steele is with Grey, she has to behave in a certain way and it is
already set by him. ―I gape at him. Of course he has a jet, and I have to resist my
body‘s natural inclination to roll my eyes at him. I want to laugh. But I don‘t, as I
can‘t read his mood‖ (James, 2011: 262). There are rules for the relationship
which are made for Steele and she has to comply with them if she wants to
maintain the relationship. One example of the rules is the forbiddance of rolling
eyes in front of Grey. She cannot bargain with him because he is the one who
dominates the relationship. Besides, violating the rules will only bring her into the
punishments and she, as a woman, cannot protect herself from the punishments.
2. Anastasia Steele as an Employee
The portrayal of Steele as a woman is supported by her portrayal as an
employee. From her job, she is categorized as a mid-proles woman. She works as
a clerk in Clayton‘s Hardware Store in Portland area. She works there for four
years. As an employee, she is described as an obedient employee.
―I have to run. I can still make my shift at Clayton‘s.‖ ―Ana, you‘ll be exhausted.‖
―I‘ll be fine. I‘ll see you later.‖ (James, 2011: 18)
The quotation above reveals her obedience through her responsibility to
attend her shift at the work. By doing so, she shows her dedication to her job. She
does not care whether she will be tired or not. What she wants is showing her
33
From her work, it can also be seen her social class in the society. In the
story, Steele is described to have part-time job as an employee in Clayton‘s
Hardware Store.
―I‘ve worked at Clayton‘s since I started at WSU. It‘s the largest
independent hardware store in the Portland area, and over the four years
I‘ve worked here, I‘ve come to know a little bit about most everything we
sell –although ironically, I‘m crap at any DIY.‖ (James, 2011: 18)
The fact that she has been working at Clayton‘s for four years emphasizes
her social class that she is not from the upper class people. Referring to the theory
of class proposed by Fussell, she is categorized as the mid-proles, which is under
the middle class group. It is not only based on the fact that she is working as a
part-time employee, but it is also supported by her lifestyle, money, and things she
can or cannot afford. As shown in the evidence below,
Internet! I don‘t have access to a computer, only Kate‘s laptop, and I couldn‘t use Clayton‘s, not for this sort of ‗research‘ surely?
―What is it?‖ he asks, cocking his head to one side.
―I don‘t have a computer. I‘ll see if I can use Kate‘s laptop.‖
(James, 2011: 106)
One simple example is shown in Steele and Grey‘s conversation in which
Steele admits that she does not have a laptop. From this fact, it is concluded that
as an employee, she does not have enough money to afford a laptop. She only
uses and borrows Kate‘s laptop.
Another clue refers to her social class can be seen from her thought. ―I
remind myself that Kate has been to the best private schools in Washington. Her
family has money, and she‘s grown up confident and sure of her place in the
same class with Kate. Her appreciation to Kate shows that she does not experience
the same thing like Kate does. She feels inferior and tries to remind herself that
Kate is better than her because she has money, better life, and is a confident
woman. She realizes that she is the opposite of Kate, in which Kate comes from
the upper class group, while Steele is not.
As the person who has money, Kate has her own apartment. In comparison
to her, Steele joins in her apartment.
We live in a small community of duplex apartments in Vancouver,
Washington, close to the Vancouver campus of WSU. I‘m lucky – Kate‘s
parents bought the place for her, and I pay peanuts for rent. (James, 2011: 17)
Steele feels lucky because she does not need to pay anything for the rent. It
emphasizes the fact that she does not have enough money to afford her own
apartment.
3. Anastasia Steele as A Lover in Relationship with Christian Grey
This sub-part focuses on how Anastasia Steele is presented as a lover of
Christian Grey in their relationship, especially in the way she treats him as her
―boyfriend‖. Throughout the story, Steele is presented as the obedient lover. From
the beginning of their relation, she respects him a lot. ―I gape at him. Of course he
has a jet, and I have to resist my body‘s natural inclination to roll my eyes at him.
I want to laugh. But I don‘t, as I can‘t read his mood‖ (James, 2011: 262). She is
aware of her position. She realizes that she has to be nice in front of him.
35
disrespect and it is not allowed to do. Therefore, she obeys him by not rolling her
eyes.
As a lover, Steele understands that she is Grey‘s because she has
relationship with him. She knows that Grey does not like Jose, her close friend
because in the past, Jose forced Steele to accept his kiss in the bar. Therefore, she
keeps the distance with Jose as she wants to keep Grey‘s feeling and to respect his
status as her ―boyfriend‖.
―Look José, now‘s not a good time.‖ I glance anxiously over at Christian
who‘s watching me intently, his face impassive as he murmurs something to his mom. I turn my back to him. (James, 2011: 105)
When talking about something related to Jose, Steele is trying to be careful
to discuss the topic. As mentioned in the next evidence, she asks permission to
Grey about going to Jose‘s photography show and invites him to join.
―My friend José‘s photography show is opening Thursday in Portland.‖
He stills, his hands hovering over my breasts. I have emphasized the word
‗friend.‘
―Yes, what about it?‖ he asks sternly.
―I said I would go. Do you want to come with me?‖
(James, 2011: 334-335)
By asking permission and inviting Grey to Jose‘s show, she wants to show
her commitment to their relationship that she will not cheat over him and have an
affair with Jose. By telling him about Jose, she shows her honesty to him that
there is nothing she hides about her and Jose from Grey. Moreover, she
emphasizes the word ‗friend‘. It shows that she really means her relation with Jose
is only as a friend. She lets him know about their friendship because she believes
Having relationship with Grey, Steele is engaged with sexual relationship
with him since it is what he wants from her. She is expected to be sexually
arousing and to be able to please him sexually.
I do as instructed, and he reaches down and grabs the hem. Slowly, he pulls my dress up over my thighs, my hips, my belly, my breasts, my shoulders, and over my head. He stands back to examine me and absentmindedly folds my dress, not taking his eyes off me. He places it on the large chest beside the door. Reaching up, he pulls at my chin, his touch searing me. (James, 2011: 223)
She knows her position as his lover, which he calls a Submissive, hence,
she treats him sexually well by letting him explore her sexuality and use her body.
She learns that Grey is the Dominant and he has rights to use her body as his
property. She lets him take all the control to use her so that he will be pleased.
Besides, she also has to learn to take all punishments as part of obligations to
receive.
During their sexual activity, Steele is the passive one, seen from the
dialog; it is all dominated by Grey. The one who speaks the most is him and his
words are full of commands and dictations.
―Open your mouth,‖ he commands and thrusts his thumb in my mouth. My
eyes fly open, blinking wildly. (James, 2011: 86)
Steele receives command and controls less. As presented in the evidence,
Grey commands her to do what he wants and he does not hesitate to act forcefully,
37
B. The Portrayal of Christian Grey
This part focuses on the portrayal of the male main character, Christian
Grey, and the way he is described throughout the story as a man, an employer, and
a lover to reveal how the character presents class and gender difference compared
to Anastasia Steele. Christian Grey is a young billionaire who meets Anastasia
Steele in the interview. He owns his big successful company and he also comes
from a rich family. He has intention to make a BDSM (Bondage and Discipline,
Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism) Relationship with Steele. In
BDSM Relationship, Grey is the Dominant and Steele is the Submissive. It means
Steele is regarded as his property, can be used the ways he likes. The portrayal of
Grey carries the information how he is described as the man, employer, and lover
through his thought, action, dialog with or commentary from other character, and
the direct description from the author.
1. Christian Grey as a Man
As a man, Grey is presented as the superior man. He is very dominant and
he likes to control everything.
The clue is taken from his confession about himself who likes controlling
everything and people around him. ―Oh, I exercise control in all things, Miss
Steele‖ (James, 2011: 12) and ―I like control-of myself and those around me‖
(James, 2011: 13). He admits to Steele explicitly that he is a controlling person.
