Analysis

Redemption comes unexpectedly, and liberation comes in stages for Louie and the other POWs. If Naoetsu is a symbol of hell, then Japan’s defeat by American forces is like the gates of hell breaking wide open to release every captive held there.

First, the figurative hell that is Naoetsu is emptied of its demons, if only briefly, when the guards unexpectedly withdraw. Then, the demons return, but they’re subdued and impotent. Finally, the guards pull back completely, with the announcement that the war is over. Louie will soon be free.