What Is The Theme Of Unbroken

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.

First of all, the theme of survival was demonstrated throughout the book. Starting off with Zamperini surviving from the eugenics by transforming himself into an Olympian athlete in Part I, to the plane crash in Part II, next the 47 days of drifting in the Pacific Ocean in Part III, then the Japanese POW camps in Part IV, and finally overcoming his mental illness in Part V were all examples of the theme survival being demonstrated. In addition, the theme of resilience was part of the protagonist Zamperini’s personality. At the Japanese POW camp, Naoetsu, the Bird, a sadistic Japanese POW guard, tortured him and stripped away his dignity. The Bird has let Zamperini perform tasks such as holding up a six foot beam after discovering Zamperini was desperate for medical care. Being told to hold the beam or else being whacked by the guard’s gun, Zamperini held it for 37 minutes. Considering his physical condition during that time period, it was incredible how Zamperini’s mental state helped him through the difficulties of the Japanese POW camp. Lastly, Hillenbrand integrated the theme of redemption mostly in Part V. The following quote from that section explains it all. “It was forgiveness, beautiful and effortless and complete. For Louie Zamperini, the war was over” (p.386). After the war, Zamperini had nightmares of the Bird, sank into

During the second World War, an olympic record holder, Louie Zamperini, was one of the few men that got shot down into the ocean and was stranded for 47 days on a lonely, little raft. The great American hero we all have heard of didn’t start out like you would have thought. He was a young scoundrel who was influenced by his brother to run for something better than away from is problems. After years of running and going to the German Olympics to set the best lap run in the 5,000 meters, Louie had gone into the Air Force and had gotten into trouble at a Japanese POW camp after a crash. The book Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand, expresses Louie’s life exceptionally well, especially

From the beginning, Hillenbrand highlights a series of specific details to exaggerate Zamperini’s uncontainable personality that would carry him through the war. Page fifteen states, “To get even with a railcar conductor who wouldn’t stop for him, Louie greased the rails. When a teacher made him stand in the corner for spitballing, he deflated her car tires with toothpicks. After

In one scene of the memoir, Allison describes her uncles and their need to be depicted as masculine and to act “hard” to the world around them. She also remembers her cousins as young boys and how quickly they seemed to turn into men. The time came for them to act as the world expected them to. This action shows how gender may oppress some males when they feel the pressures of the world to act a certain way. Otherwise, they are at risk for being seen as different and abnormal. Men who do not portray masculinity well are often seen as feminine and weak. When Allison describes her uncles she states, “If you didn’t look close, you might miss the sharp glint of pain in their eyes, the restless angry way they gave themselves up to fate,” (Allison, 28). These men already had their futures planned for them though the society and gender norms. Acting against these norms was seen as unusual, radical, and

What would you have done if you were stranded on a raft with two other men for 44 days with provisions to last less than 3 days? This is one of the easiest things Louie Zamperini had to endure in “Unbroken”, by Laura Hillenbrand. The most important thing to be learned from the life of Louis Zamperini is to never crack under pressure, because of his survival on a raft, how he withstood the cruelty of the bird, and how he survived through the torture of Japanese POW camps.

When Louie first enlisted in the war, he was terrified of heights, but wanted to fly a plane. He had to overcome his fear to accomplish being able to fly. When Louie and his crew were flying their bomber named Superman, it was hit by enemy fire. Many of the crew members inside were injured, Louie did everything to try help them survive. Shortly after the attack, Louie’s plane crashed into the ocean. Three of the crewmen who were on the plane, including Louie, were the only ones who survived. 46 days passed, the men fought vigorously for their lives, with no food or water. With the willpower of trying to survive, they also had to survive the sharks and the Japanese bombers. When Louie finally reached land, he was nowhere near alive or healthy. After finding land, Louie was held as a POW never knowing if he was going to live to see the next day. “It was a secret interrogation center called Otuna, where “high value” captured men were housed in solitary confinement, starved, tormented, and tortured” (Hillebrand 198). He was dehumanized and constantly made fun of. Louie had to use his survival skills to continue on to be able to survive being a POW. “Confident that he was so clever, resourceful, and bold enough to escape any predicament, Louie was almost incapable of discouragement. When history carried him into war, this resilient optimism would define him” (Hillenbrand 7). Despite the challenges

Despite everything that Louie endured at the camp for prisoners of war (POWs), he was alive, he was always moving forward and the main thing - he stayed strong. Once, the chief of the camp the Bird forced Louie “to lift it (wooden beam) high and hold it directly over his head” (p.301). For Zamperini it was more than hard but he did it. “He felt his consciousness slipping, his mind losing adhesion, until all he knew was a simple thought: “He cannot break me”.

It explains to the reader that no matter how many times a man fails or succeeds in his life, it comes down to whether or not they give it there all or not.

Adversity, pain, hope, and revival are main topics in the incredible Biography Unbroken. A story of a man named Louis Zamperini overcame countless catastrophes that many humans, would not get through. As you read the book, you truly get a feel for what he went through and how he felt. During the movie you get a great visual of how it went down but during Louis’s son’s presentation, one may argue you don’t get a whole lot out of it.

There are many people that went through a lot in order for our world to become what it is today. Jesse Owens who had overcame many obstacles such as cherishing his life when he realized he was aging, dealing with racism throughout his college career, defeating Hitler in his own olympics, and being an inspiration to many people. Many of the obstacles that Jesse Owens overcame relates to all kind of different traits that Rom Brafman mentioned in his book Succeeding When You’re Suppose To Fail The 6 Enduring Principle of High Achievements. Different evidenced that proved these different traits were found in, Jesse Owens: A Biography by Jacqueline Edmondson, American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas by Murry R Nelson, and a journal The Olympics, Jesse Owens, Burke, and the Implications of Media Framing in Symbolic Boasting by Mike Milford.

A.E. Housman was a poet born in 1859 who became very successful during his lifetime. “To an Athlete Dying Young” represents the theme of glory is fleeting by illustrating the point that if a successful athlete dies young, they will not have to worry about their glory of victory fading. They can rest in peace knowing they will be remembered at their athletic peak when they were successful and victorious. They will not have to go through the pain of watching their fame disappear or whither out with time. In this poetic masterpiece, Housman pulls together figurative language, sound devices, and structure to illustrate that glory is fleeting through a

Sanity is a societal construct, and as such is something a society can judge when something is sane or insane. Psychologists are able to see the difference in brain chemicals and have a set measure to define when someone has lost sanity. People of Hamlet’s time only had the broad construct of sanity, and would only understand that he is crazy. In the Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare Hamlet would be judged as crazy by the common consensus. Hamlet’s sanity can first be questioned when the ghost of King Hamlet appears to him.

The man on the sidewalk is likely poor, due to his description as a thin man dressed in worn clothing. He is possibly an immigrant due to his use of foreign words when witnesses try to comfort him (Hongo). Is his death meaningless? Surely, but his life couldn’t be. Not everyone can be a Bill Gates, or a Denzel Washington, or an Oprah. The inherent skill set in the wildly successful, isn’t present in every human being, but this doesn’t preclude us from enjoying the fruits of our labor. This doesn’t prevent us from finding enjoyment in the challenges of life. Success is not the only measure of one’s identity. This is apparent when a moment with his fresh clothing warms not just his hands, but his existence. He glows in the flash of the setting sun, a symbol of this man’s glowing happiness. Even though he is a poor man, and likely far from his old home, he takes time to enjoy the small victories. His state doesn’t keep him down.

Imagine if an individual conquering his/her largest challenge presents one with an incredible reward. Surprisingly, this idea is shared between three uncommon literature works. Within Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, the main character, Tally Youngblood, triumphed through an exhausting and tough journey to a place that leads her to learn about self-worth. Furthermore, The Third and Final Continent describes the narrator, Jhumpa Lahiri’s, adventure of his life through three continents and poor living conditions during that time resulting in Jhumpa Lahiri finally finding a value in life. In Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “If”, the audience witnesses if statements that express if someone conquers the troubles in their life, the world will be theirs. Incredibly, among three unlike compositions, a common theme, overcoming obstacles and being honored with a sentimental reward, is conveyed through plot, cause and effect, and characterization.