sed from her bondage, but when she finds her husband has not truly departed she is forced to renounce her freedom, and only through dying is she able to find true liberation. Her original cries of freedom are echoed in Gaslight when Paula finally finds her inner strength and channels her rightful indignation towards her husband in a powerful poetic statement at the end of the film.
Her liberation mirrors that of the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper who found freedom through madness. The old, off-putting, yellow paper with illogic lines twisted in a cage like pattern allegorically represents the prison that her husband has imposed upon her, and which she continues to remain caged within. Soon this wallpaper drives her completely mad; she is plagued by a tormenting obsession with the paper, and while at first she passionately hates it, she begins to accept and appreciate it.
This is symbolic of the inner transformation that takes places within her; finding peace within herself, she will no longer allow herself to be bound by an oppressive husband. Through oppression and madness the narrator finally achieves redemption. The Yellow Wallpaper, The Story of An Hour, and the 1944 Film Gaslight, are three artistic works that present feminist themes; while differing in certain aspects, these works are all connected by the same core ideas of oppression and liberation.
These creative voices act as an inspiring force in those who can see that gender roles are still relevant today, or for anyone who suffers from any oppressive situation in their life. These stories focus heavily on gender limitations while simultaneously transcending the concept of gender by presenting themes that resonate with the whole of the human species, as they ignite hope in the promise of salvation following life’s tribulations.