As the last novel in the massively successful Fifty Shades series, ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ serves as a conclusion to a story of love, hate, pain, trauma, desire, and family. The story’s impact on the world of literary romance knows few rivalries as it introduced alien concepts related to love and erotic romance.
Historical Context
After the publication of ‘Fifty Shades Freed,’ mixed reactions arose from fans and the general public. Some were happy that one of the worst trilogies ever created was ending. However, fans were sad that they were getting the last story of Christian and Ana, and some even wanted more from E. L. James.
The controversy surrounding the Fifty Shades Trilogy arose from its depiction of romance. Some people disliked the novel because of how it portrayed BDSM. Readers cited that E. L. James showed BDSM as an act performed by trauma-haunted sociopaths and naïve girls. However, fans of the trilogy had a different view as they saw the BDSM as an element of sexual intensity that added to the mysteriousness of Christian Grey. Though the lines between the trilogy haters and lovers never faded, ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ had a better reception from both ends of the readers’ spectrum.
A second issue the Fifty Shades Trilogy faced was its glorification of Christian and Ana’s relationship. Though there was a gradual change in Christian’s behavior, it was evident that he still had his demons. He still acted terribly towards Ana even after they married in the final story. Many pointed out that there was nothing romantic about Christian’s behavior towards Ana. Many stated that Christian was mean, condescending, erratic, and emotionally parasitic to Ana. Others also expressed disdain towards Ana as her inferiority-savior complex character appeared fake to them.
In ‘Fifty Shades Freed,’ Ana’s character made people express their dislike for her even more. Many pointed out that her willingness to marry Christian even when she knew how sociopathic he could be, makes her far less innocent than the story painted her.
Cultural Context
As the last story in the hyper-successful Fifty Shades Trilogy, ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ has impacted pop culture and society in many ways. From education to television and the internet, the novel has become an inspiration for many romance writers and TV series producers. Christian and Ana’s final story has become the poster for romance in today’s world. With over 9.3 million copies sold, it is undoubtedly a story that has changed people’s mentality, perceptions, and thoughts.
Though the story received many praises from fans of E. L. James, there was severe backlash concerning the book. It received intense criticism from organizations that combat sexual exploitation and abuse. The trilogy got labeled as a series that glorified abuse and tried to make it look romantic.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, an organization that combats sexual abuse in America, labeled the entire Fifty Shades Trilogy a story of sexual and domestic abuse. It stated that the trilogy portrayed sexual coercion, domestic violence, humiliation, degradation, manipulation, physical torture, emotional abuse, and intimidation as love. It argued that the story’s disproportionate fan base of women created a perception that men have to be violent and abusive for women to like them.
‘Fifty Shades Freed’ also impacted erotism and changed how romance gets depicted in literature. The story’s depiction of abuse as romance changed the erotic romance genre as literature companies like Wattpad became a thriving ground for stories with extreme sexual content.
Adaptations and Awards
In 2018, the Fifty Shades Freed film got released in cinemas. As the third film of the Fifty Shades trilogy, the adaptation quickly rose to success. With a budget of $55 million, Fifty Shades Freed grossed a humongous $372 million at the Box Office, making it highly successful. The film starred Dakota Johnson as Anastasia, Jamie Dornan as Christian, Eric Johnson as Jack Hyden, Rita Ora as Mia, and Luke Grimes as Elliot. The novel won the 2012 Goodreads Choice Award.
FAQs
Why was Fifty Shades Freed a Box Office success?
Fifty Shades Freed was a Box Office hit because of many factors like the novel’s success and marketing. Before the film’s release, ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ had sold millions of copies and was among the bestselling novels of the decade; this made people watch the film, leading to its success.
Do people hate Fifty Shades Freed?
After its publication, there was severe criticism of ‘Fifty Shades Freed.’  Though the backlash was not as much as its predecessors, critics and readers cited many faults with the story, including bad writing and unrelatable characters.
What happens to Mia in Fifty Shades Freed?
Mia gets kidnapped by Elizabeth and Jack, who calls Ana demanding $5 million. Threatening to kill Mia, Ana gets the money and hands it to Jack. He tries to kill her, but Elizabeth argues with him giving Ana the chance to shoot him in the leg. Christian comes to Ana’s rescue, and Mia gets taken to the hospital, where she recovers.
Was Christian abusive to Ana in Fifty Shades Freed?
In ‘Fifty Shades Freed,’ Christian became a better person. However, when Ana tells him she is pregnant, he gets sad and drinks into a stupor. While drunk, he tells Ana to abort the baby, and when she learns that he went to see Elena, she gets furious at him.
