Life, Freedom and the pursuit of happinessThe idea of ​​freedom, the meaning and value of it, are subjective. However, the importance of freedom is indisputable. In Fredrick Douglas's account of the life of Fredrick Douglass, an American slave, freedom is a bold theme, a statement unto itself. It's the backbone of this heroic story, the meaning of the fight against slavery, and the reason to make it so personable and relatable. While Fredrick Douglass explains this clearly to the reader, and we can sense the thirst for freedom throughout the story, it is a much more subtle theme in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The hero of this tale is not only fighting for her physical freedom from her controlling husband, but also for psychological and internal freedom as an individual and as a woman. The differences between the two stories when it comes to freedom are sensitive and delicate, but equal in their meaning and merit. The Tale of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave was written following Fredrick Douglass' escape from his Maryland slaveholder to New York, and discovers his story from slave to free man. The desire for freedom, freedom and happiness in the face of dehumanization and brutality is evident in every inch and letter. For Douglass his first priority is to continue to point out the irrelevant fact at the time; slaves are human beings who are treated as property by slave owners. The narrative reflects the cruel reality that slaves were often passed from one owner to another and were valued only on their ability to perform productive work. He often treated slaves absurdly, as they were livestock, animals, objects to be acquired to improve one's life and fortune. For emphasis on length…half of the paper…all things both narrators of both stories deeply crave. In the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, An American Slave, the courageous acts of Douglass and the other slaves in the story pale in comparison to the sheer success of the publication of his autobiography. This was his private declaration of freedom and independence. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” a story told in the shadow of the writer's true story, freedom was found in the process of transformation and finding one's voice, in a time when this was simply impossible. Her awareness of the changes that have occurred within her and her efforts to foster and complete them demonstrate a courage that is often not recognized in women. At the end of the story she is able to express herself in a way she couldn't before and her husband had no choice but to listen to her. He gained control which translated into freedom.