Christian’s Office
Christian’s office makes a very powerful impression on both Ana and the reader. It is huge, elegant, and very modern. Everything is impeccable and gives the impression of someone with total power and control. At the same time, there is no color or personal details. The space is both imposing and anonymous at the same time. The imagery of Christian's office hints at his personality and character. Just like the space, he is visually striking and unforgettable. At the same time, he is cold and opaque, and it is challenging to get a sense of who he actually is.
Red Room
The red room is a place where Christian likes to take pleasure. The room smells of “leather, wood, polish with a faint citrus scent.” The walls and ceiling are a deep, dark burgundy, “giving a womb-like effect to the spacious room.” The main attribute of the room is a bed, which is bigger than king-size, “an ornately carved rococo four-poster with a flat top.” The imagery of the red room gives an impression of both pleasure and a sense of sinister foreboding. Red is traditionally the color of passion, but also pain and suffering. The vivid imagery with which the room is described reflects Ana's intense emotional reaction when she enters the space. It also prefaces the intense sensations of both pleasure and pain which she will experience within this space.
Christian and Ana's Dinner
When Christian and Ana meet to have a discussion about the contract he wants her to sign, they meet for dinner in a private dining room at the Heathman Hotel. The whole evening is described using vivid imagery, including the clothes Christian and Ana wear, the food they eat, and the physical sensations triggered by the way they look at and flirt with one another. The imagery is used to convey how intense the attraction is between the two: whenever she is around him, all of Ana's senses are heightened, and she feels everything more acutely. The dinner is a moment when Ana tests the limits of her power by deliberately teasing Christian, and then refusing to spend the night with him. The imagery conveys the tension and desire that both of them are experiencing.
Christian and Ana's Lovemaking
Throughout the novel, Christian and Ana's sexual encounters are described using vivid imagery. Fifty Shades is a blatantly erotic novel which is designed to stimulate a reader's arousal, and the use of imagery is what allows this to happen. Given that the sexual chemistry between Christian and Ana is a major reason why they pursue their relationship, it is important for a reader to know the intensity of what they experience in order to see the motivation for their characters. In many ways, Christian and Ana seem to be totally incompatible but their sexual connection is part of the reason they can't help but be drawn to one another.
