During World War II, a period of complete violence and outbreak between nations, there are many heroes that have endured through harsh brutalities. In Laura Hillenbrand’s monumental book Unbroken, she writes about the real life story of Louie Zamperini. As a young child, Louie was very mischievous and dangerous.” Hillenbrand states,” He hit one kid so hard that he broke his nose. He upended another boy and stuffed paper towels in his mouth… Louie beat one kid so badly, leaving him unconscious in a ditch, that he was afraid he’s killed him (pg 10).”
Hillenbrand illustrates, through Louie’s experiences, that those who maintain their human dignity have a greater chance of surviving that those who gave up. Even through the inhumane treatments these men were given in the P.O.W. camps, they remained strong and had a will to live through their trials. “With these talks they created something to live for” (146). While at the camps, Louie and the other men managed to keep their dignity intact through rebellious acts which lifted their spirits and kept them from being broken. While Louie, Phil, and Mac were stranded at sea, Mac didn’t survive despite eating all of their survival chocolate.
On May 27, 1943 Louis Zamperini and his crew of eleven other soliders we participating in a search for a lost plane over the Pacific when their plane suddenly malfunctioned and crashed into the sea. Zamperini was an Olympic long-distance runner and bombardier who survived a terrible plane crash, spent weeks afloat on a fragile raft in shark infested waters, and spent two years in Japanese prisoner of war camps. In a nonfiction book, Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand writes about Louie Zamperini and his will to survive which is stronger than that of an average person, enabling him to survive several seemingly unsurvivable situations. Hillenbrand is an author of American books and articles.
During World War II, invisibility was more than just not being seen. Soldier or civilian, they were both made invisible literally and figuratively; most times even both. In the book, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, we are introduced to Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner who is drafted into World War II. On a rescue mission, the plane he works on runs out of fuel and the engines malfunction, causing the plane to crash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Three survive the crash, including Louie.
While incorporating the life of Louie Zamperini and the events that occurred during World War II, the author uses an objective voice and provides frequent analysis of the characters’ mindset. The novel also consists of short anecdotes that are used to provide the reader with insight of a particular situation. Because the book is written in third person, the novel reads more like a news article than a narrative, adding to Hillenbrand’s unique style. The hopeful, sanguine tone that is utilized, such as “faith” and “dignity” elaborates on the optimistic theme that is consistent throughout the
Throughout the book, Louie learns a lot about himself both physically and mentally. By Louie Zamperini finding his faith after the war, Hillenbrand shows how he is able to forgive those who tortured him. Louie reached his lowest point in his life when his wife Cynthia, forced him to go see Billy Graham. Louie was experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after returning home from the war.
Louie Zamperinis story is one of perseverance, strength, and courage. The central idea of this book is to never give up and keep on going, even in the darkest situations. This novel explores many issues and ideas, but the one that stands out the most is the personal one. Laura Hillenbrand uses the themes of suffering and perseverance in the novel Unbroken to show how if a person believes he/she can do it, it can be done. The author demonstrates this in many ways telling the story of his childhood until adulthood.
Survivalist with Troubled Identity People that have gone through really hard situations, like war, make replace question everything that replace know. War leads to terrible trauma, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.). There were thousands, if not millions, of veteran soldiers that committed suicide after WWII. In the novel Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie Zamperini, Olympic runner and WWII hero, was brave enough to face reality out of coming out of hell and back after a life changing experience of being a POW. Louie going to WWII had changed so much for the worst that he even questions himself.
These small, simple quotes may not have everything, but it definitely pushed Louie to try his best and never give up. From the running to the quotes, this novel comes together and makes an amazing biography. The author used wonderful descriptive words to have pictures be drawn into the reader's’ mind and also she had used figurative language to also help with comparing such things like planes and bodies of water. The author created a mind blowing piece on the life of Louie Zamperini and it is definitely a book that is recommended to
Louie Zamperini went through more pain and suffering than most people will ever endure in their entire life. In the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis Zamperini was an Olympic runner. He was drafted during World War II . During the war, his plane crashed in the middle of the ocean and he was stranded with little resources to survive. This book follows his incredible story battling starvation and abuse in Prisoner of War camps (POW).
War Combat, loyalty, enmity, bloodshed, and duty, all words that fit under the category of war. The novel Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is about Louis Zamperini a strong willed man raised in Torrance, California. He started as a young troublemaker until he discovered his passion for running in high school. That very passion led him to compete in the Olympics. Later he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, a brave decision that would change his life.
Morgan Cook Unbroken Book Review 1/16/18 Mrs. Campbell Honors Literature PD 1 “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand was published in 2010. From the first chapter i was hooked. Hillenbrand’s imagery and style caught my eye and pulled me into Louie’s story with no hesitation. I absolutely loved Hillenbrand’s structure in this book and it was much better than others i have read.
As Helen Keller once quoted, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken tells the life story of Louis “Louie” Zamperini. Through his troubles as a child, emerged a strong-willed Olympic runner, who later became a military aviator. He was lost at sea and then captured by the Japanese as a prisoner of war. He endured years of abuse and suffering but still managed to stay true to who he was.
Overcoming Dehumanization “Louie watched the sky and hoped the Americans would come before the Bird killed him” (181). This is one of the many examples of how the way POWs were treated in these camps influenced many lives negatively. Like many other Prisoners of War, Louie Zamperini survived several difficult conditions. He had to resist several attempts of dehumanization. In Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand uses both internal and external conflict to show that war has profound and varied effects on individuals.
Unbroken The author wrote this story to inform the reader of the life of Louis Zamperini, while also telling the story in an entertaining way. Hillenbrand demonstrated the main idea throughout the book by using rhetorical devices such as diction, syntax, imagery, and tone. Hillenbrand’s use of these rhetorical devices contribute to the book Unbroken by emphasizing the main character, Louis “Louie” Zamperini’s, life before, during, and after becoming a prisoner of war.
