He finds comfort in knowing he can reach her at any time, and he is insistent that she always respond promptly. The BlackBerry symbolizes Christian's need for total control and access to Ana's life. When he learns she doesn't have email access, he buys her a BlackBerry so that the two of them can always be in touch. Ana's BlackBerry (Symbol)Īs their relationship deepens, Christian wants the ability to be in touch with Ana at all times.
He literally cannot let Ana touch certain parts of his body, and he symbolically cannot let her see certain things about his past experiences. Just like how the scars will never go away, even though the wounds have healed, Christian cannot move forward in his relationship because he is still stuck in the past. Even though Christian now has a safe and powerful life, he is still psychologically trapped in a place of vulnerability and fear. The scars symbolize Christian's past trauma, and how it continues to affect him. Eventually, Ana realizes the scars are from cigarette burns. At first Ana assumes they are from chicken pox, but she can never get a close look because Christian refuses to allow her to touch this part of his body. When they become intimate, Ana notices that Christian has small round scars on his chest and torso. Buy Study Guide Christian's Scars (Symbol)
