First off, I am a devoted, long time Christian woman who has never really taken face value for anything in life. I dig in. I find the truth out for myself. This trait may be a stubborn streak but it has served me well in areas like Biblical knowledge and my personal relationship with God. Let me preface this blog by saying, I respect all people that serve as ministers and clergyman. I also respect my elders. I also know that in scripture that there were a group of people called the Bereans that studied and proved their elders.
Acts 17:11 (NIV) "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."
To move on to the '50 Shades of Grey' content. To be upfront and honest, I have read ALL THREE installments. If you write me off just because of this statement, you don't deserve to know the truth that I'm about to reveal.
1. I read all 3 because I was sick of other Christians telling and bossing me into what I should think/feel about the subject.
2. Again, I always want to know the truth for myself.
3. I can read, research, and consider things objectively while considering the foundational truths of our belief system like redemption and righteousness.
After reading many posts saying what I should and should not think as a Christian and a Christian woman (yes, some post made this distinction... and that's another blog), I found a free version of the series online that had horrible typing skills and formatting. [No, I did not pay for the books. Let that ease the conscience of those that don't want me to pay money into the enterprise.]
However, I read, cringed, pondered, cried, and considered how this is life for many people. Yes, there were many portions in this book that were shocking and often made me feel squeamish, but they didn't distract me from my mission. I got to know the characters and how they interact with one another.
Mr. Grey.
The too rich for his own good and dashingly handsome so the combination gets him into some interesting positions with women. He was a confused young boy, adopted out of extreme neglect and abuse into a family of means. He compared and forced all of his relationships to reflect the pain he felt from his biological mother. The hurt, the neglect, the bodily disrespect. He would turn to women that reminded him of his mother so he could "take control" of her.
Miss Anastasia Steele.
A college student doing an interview for her sick friend meets the allusive Mr. Grey. This was a wrong place at the wrong time kind of scenario. Poor girl is already awkward with guys (i.e. her friend, Jose), doesn't know her own beauty, and is a little reckless like many college gals... She has an VERY strong attraction to him which leads to many situations just because she wants to know what comes next.
Yes. I endured the sometimes poorly written sexual scenes in the book because sometimes you would run across a snapshot of how the character is changing. I followed the characters to the end. I followed them through the initial turmoil that a sexually & emotionally abusive relationship unravels. I followed them through Mr. Grey's first REAL dates in a real relationship after saying he would try to date normally. I followed them through fornication, accidental pregnancy, and yes: to commitment. to family. to vulnerability that brought healing and change.
Through this tumultuous relationship (though rare) Mr. Grey changed. Anastasia changed. The last scene of the last book depicts them at the home he built for just his family. He wanted to leave the old memories behind. They were all out playing in a field near their home, chasing their child with another on the way. Yes, the red room still existed but just for the two of them, and minus a lot of the gadgetry that was there previously. They communicated. They loved.
So, my humble opinion, this series is more a story of redemption, healing and forgiveness when you get past the "sexy filler" the author had to put in to show his depravity.
This first movie will no doubt be all about the first book and its kinky showcase, but I do hope the franchise goes a bit further to show the change of heart, mind, soul.
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