Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand Analysis

Well-known nonfiction author Laura Hillenbrand, in her best-selling biography, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, describes the chilling reality faced by those living in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps. As the title suggests, this is not the typical World War II tale of hardship that ends in liberation; rather, it follows the main character, Louis “Louie” Zamperini, through his childhood, Olympic performances, and military career leading up to his captivity, as well as his later marriage and many years of healing. Hillenbrand's purpose is to impress upon her readers the scale of this tragedy as well as remind them of the horror that so many nameless soldiers endured. She adopts an emotional yet straightforward tone in order to get readers to sympathize with the characters and truly understand what they went through. To do so, she manages to make the unique story of one man represent the thousands of others going through the same tragedy.

The American industrialist Henry Ford once said, “ Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes of bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character , and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.” In Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken, the fearless Louis Zamperini epitomized Ford’s words when, he survived imprisonment for over 2 years only after his World War II bomber crashed into the middle of the Pacific . Thankfully Louie’s fearlessness helped him return home and share his story with the world.

Laura Murphy is a member of the Lake Braddock Secondary School Parent-Teacher-Student Association in Fairfax Station, Virginia. Murphy is advocating for students at the high school to not read a particular novel. The novel that she is challenging happens to be the Pulitzer Prize winner Beloved by Toni Morrison. Murphy is not only challenging the book, but is also wanting to ban Beloved. In regards to future literature, “new polices are adopted for books assigned” that might have objectionable content.

When authors write about World War II, most set their stories in Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, but few would give a moment of thought to the atrocities perpetrated by the Imperial Japanese Army in East Asia and the Pacific region. However, Laura Hillenbrand has brought us this heavily neglected side of the tragedy. By following the vicissitudes of a USAAF lieutenant named Louis Zamperini in her bestseller “Unbroken”, she pays tribute to all ex-POWs and soldiers that lost their lives on the Asian battlefield.

The American author Og Mandino once said,”sound character provides the power with which a person may ride the emergencies of life instead of being overwhelmed by them. Failure is… the highway to success.”In Laura Hillenbrand’s biography Unbroken, the considerable Louis Zamperini exemplified Og Mandion’s out look beating as a world war II soldier,took on anything handed to him from shark attacks to a prisoner of war in japan. It was Zamperini’s Determination that pushed each other to continue to survive in which Hillenbrand convyed his captivating biography.

The book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand made me Realize many things. This book made me realize how hard life was back then for many people,especially the men who fought in war for their country.Louis zamperini was ordered to do a simple mission on a plane that sparked the beginning of a long period of torture.Louis was given the opportunity to get all the food he wanted from the japanese if he just bad mouthed america to the whole world.Instead of accepting the offer from the japanese, he chose to continue his life in the camp and be tortured. Therefore not only did i realize how hard life was for the men and women who fought for their country in combat, i also realized that the men and women fighting truly love their country.

Many people have to go through difficult times, but many do not have to face what Louie Zamperini faced. Louie Zamperini was an Olympic athlete in WWII. While on a bombing run, he crashed in the Pacific Ocean and was stranded for 47 days at sea. He was captured, beaten, and torchered by the Japanese for two years. In Laura Hillenbrand’s book, Unbroken, Louie Zamperini showed rebelliousness and resistance while at the harsh POW camps, but uses these traits to survive the Japanese’s mind games and beatings.

He lived in a tiny prisoner of war camp by the Japanese for two years being fed very little and often unfit things to eat in general. Harsh labor was forced upon him and the other prisoners which broke them down the very last bit. An old friend that Zamperini met during his time at the olympics ended up being on of the prisoner guards at his prisoner of war camp. He treated Louie awfully, beating him, scolding him and forcing pain upon him in multiple ways. However, Zamperini, being the strong, independent, and determined person that he is he persevered past him not matter what challenges he was thrown into. The Bird, was what Zamperini and the other men in the prisoner camps named his old friend that he met at the Olympics, he treated Zamperini awfully and made him hold a wooden beam over his head and if he dropped then he would be shot. In the novel the author writes about his experience while holding the beam “Louie locked his eyes on the Bird’s face, radiating hatred.”, he showed perseverance and determination in this quote because even though he was being threatened with his life he would not accept defeat from his enemies (Hillenbrand 301). When Zamperini was finally released home after World War II finally ended he was relieved yet still had horrible nightmares from his time spent on the prisoner camp island, Kwajalein. He was unable to overcome his fears

According to the great retired olympian track athlete Gail Devers, “Sometimes we fall, sometimes we stumble, but we can’t stay down. We can’t allow life to beat us down. Everything happens for a reason, and it builds character in us, and it tells us what we are about and how strong we really are when we didn’t think we could be that strong.” In Unbroken, a biography written by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis Zamperini illustrates Devers’ words with his resilience, springing back after his World War II bomber crashed and enemy forces captured him. In the end Louis’ ability to make due with every hellish situation life threw at him that influenced Hillenbrand’s aspired survival story.

Louis Zamperini displayed many Examples of resilience during his time at sea, and during his time in the Japanese POW camps. While at sea Zamperini and his colleagues needed to invent ways to stay sane, and alive which shows incredible creativity. At sea Zamperini displayed humor in his creative ways of coming up with meals for the men who were stranded with him. Despite being locked up and unable to control his surroundings Zamperini still managed to stay independent from The Bird and remain positive. Through his initiative Zamperini managed to send a note home to his parents through a forced japanese propaganda broadcast. Zamperini displayed morality later in his life when he forgave the japanese guards for what they had done to him. Zamperini

Louie is like a great, inspirational person, why? Well because in the beginning he started to steal,smoke at a young age,and getting in trouble. But then his brother Pete taught him to become a track runner for the track team, and he raised up and light up the sky as he ran and later on, he became an olympic runner. As mentioned Louie had lots of difficulties throughout his life. For example, smoking,stealing,drinking and in such a young age he did all that. While his brother Pete was the good kid. It was like Louie was the bad side, and Pete being the good side. Throughout the story of Unbroken,(by Laura Hillenbrand), Louie Zamperini evinces his character traits of resilient and optimism throughout his actions.

The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family. The third face, you never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are. This face is often shown in the most trying moments of people's lives. While on a mission, Louie Zamperini crashed into the ocean with Mac in a rescue mission. Mac died on the high seas, and Louie went on to be captured by the Japanese, became a POW throughout the war and went to multiple camps. In Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand uses the characters Mac and Louie to express the theme; people often discover their true natures in their darkest moments.

In part one Louis youth play a huge role in the person he would grow into and on the traits he would carry with him through his life. Louis Zamperini growing up was a rather ornery kid, but this orneriness is what taught him many things that would allow him to show resilience through his conflict. “From the moment he could walk, Louie couldn’t bear to be corralled. His siblings would recall him careening about, hurdling flora, fauna, and furniture. The instant Louise thumped him into a chair and told him to be still, he vanished. If she didn’t have her squirming boy in her hands, she usually had no idea where he was” (Hillenbrand 5). This quote shows how much of an active soul he was, even from a very young age. This hardy soul is what set the ball in motion to make him begin stretching the boundaries to see how far he could go and still be safe.

In captivity across a series of prison camps, Zamperini and Phillips were separated and subjected to torture, both physical and psychological. They were beaten and starved, and Zamperini was singled out and abused repeatedly by a camp sergeant called the Bird, who would tear into fits of psychotic violence. Yet Zamperini, as a former Olympic athlete, was seen as a propaganda tool by the Japanese, a scenario that likely saved him from execution.

The American author, political activist, and lecturer Helen Keller once said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved”. Keller’s words relate to the protagonist Louie Zamperini, in his biography Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. In fact, his determination and commitment helped him endure the many struggles of his life. As a soldier survived a World War II bomber crash into the Pacific and extreme conditions of being a prisoner of war (POW), Zamperini’s devotion to seeing his loved ones once again has audiences turning the page to find to what happens next.