What is the significance of the painting at Rachel's parent's house?
In Pet Semetary, there is a painting hanging on the wall of Rachel's parent's house of a child with a gray cat.
Later in the movie, we see Gage dressed the same way.
Who is the child in the painting? Why is Gage dressed in the same way at the end of the film? What is the significance of this?
Best Answer
The child in the painting is Zelda, Rachel's sister, who died young. The boy is wearing her clothes to hint that Zelda's spirit is now inhabiting his body. In other words, the lesson is "be careful what you wish for."
In the book the painting is of the Wizard of Oz (the fireball guy, not the humbug).
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Answer 2
I've not seen the film myself, but imdb seems to support Ralph Crown's answer:
The picture at Rachel's parents' house is a painting of Zelda as a child, before her spinal meningitis. Gage is later seen wearing a similar outfit (as well as having her red hair) to signify that Zelda has come back through him, which was Rachel's deepest fear.
Answer 3
The dress on the kid in the painting and the dress on the monsterous Zelda are the same. I think it's pretty obvious and doesn't require a citation... but to bolster this point further, there is a part in the original novel where Mrs. creed mistakes gage for Zelda moments before she is murdered by him... so that's it.
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