ipl-logo

Dynamic Characters In Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken

723 Words3 Pages

Laura Hillenbrand’s novel Unbroken, a biography about the thrilling life of Louis Zamperini, and now a major motion picture, continues to be read in high schools all over the country. It contains many dynamic characters, symbols, and themes. Out of all the great choices, this research paper focuses on the character changes of Francis McNamara, the symbolic nature of the sharks, and the theme of survival and resilience. Francis McNamara, the tail gunner of the B-24 nicknamed “Green Hornet”, was one of the three survivors of the plane crash in the Pacific Ocean. Mac after the first night on the water, panicked and ate all of the rations meant to feed the man until possible rescue (Hillenbrand, page number). This mistake caused him to become overcome with a melancholic depression, only speaking …show more content…

This is only half true, the other half being calm and elegant creatures. They represent how violent the natural world can be, and the pervasive and remorseless reality of a terrifying and agonizingly painful death (Florman int). Like the unsympathetic ocean, the sharks have no benevolence for the men: only hunger. The sharks, and the mortality they represent, are a major contribution to why Mac’s fortitude, his ability so survive, was so undermined. Louie’s imagined treaty with the sharks emphasizes their meaning as a specifically natural violence. He feels it is natural for the sharks to attack him in the water because that is their domain, but unnatural for them to come onto the raft, his territory (Florman int). This view of the sharks also draws a connection between the sharks and the Japanese military, who crossed into American territory to bomb pearl harbor. Louie, therefore, seems to provide a justification for the war: if you cross over borders with violent intentions, then you can expect we will be coming to your territory seeking

Show More
Related
300 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie is tortured by being dehumanized and isolated while being a POW. Throughout the book, Louie is being treated poorly by his captors, but resisted giving up. One example is in chapter 17, Louie was being transported to a camp and is put on the ground. The text states, “Louie said something to Phil and immediately felt a boot kick into him...” (page 181).

Read More
907 Words | 4 Pages

Lukas Mason Title of the Text: Unbroken Author: Laura Hillenbrand Section: Chapter 1 - 5 Summary: As chapter 1 begins, Louie Zamperini, a 12 year old boy is introduced. He was born in Olean, New York but he and his family moved to Torrance, California when he was just two years old. He began to cause havoc in his neighborhood. His fearless and troublesome personality is displayed as he got in trouble with the law by stealing food and money, creating pranks, and getting in a number of fights.

Read More
920 Words | 4 Pages

Would you be able to stop everything that you’re doing and join the army if another World War was to occur? The author that published Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption on November 16, 2010, was Laura Hillenbrand. This story takes place mostly in the Pacific Ocean and many of prisoner-of-war camps in Japan. This book is about a man named Louie Zamperini that was an agitator at a young age that had also trained to beat the four-minute-mile, but decided to put everything on hold when World War II transpired. After Louie enlisted in the army, he served as a B-24 Liberator bombardier, but as he was traveling over the Pacific Ocean, his plane was shot down by another aircraft.

Read More
159 Words | 1 Pages

In the Article “Excerpts from Unbroken” By Laura Hillenbrand POWs in Japanese were made “Invisible” during their imprisonment because they treated them terribly. According “Every man in camp was thin, many emaciated… Rations weren’t nearly enough…Unheated,drafty rooms.” (Hillenbrand,Part 2) This shows that the POWs were treated terribly by the Japanese , making them have a harsh life in their imprisonment. This proves that the Japanese made the Pows invisible during their harsh bad imprisonment.

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man 's soul in his body long past the point when the body should have surrendered it” (Hillenbrand 189). In the novel Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis “Louie” Zamperini goes through several life-threatening experiences. After being a troublemaker as a child, and an Olympic athlete, Louie straps up his boots and becomes a bombardier for the Army Air Corps. After a traumatizing crash and a forty-six day survival at sea, Louie is taken captive by Japanese officials.

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

Louie Zamperini was a remarkable man, soldier, and survivor. Growing up a slipshod child in California, Louie learned to push himself on the track. The “Torrance Tornado” was destined for the Olympics. His career was abruptly stopped in 1940 when Adolf Hitler and his regime destroyed the Olympic stadium in Finland. With his dream diminished, he became a bombardier for the U.S. Army during World War II.

Read More
369 Words | 2 Pages

Louis had to deal with surviving on only a life raft above crazy sharks and little food. Surviving nearly three months in the ocean and near death, Louis was captured by the Japanese, a main enemy of the United States’ during the war. Louie had to deal with the very cruel Japanese generals as a prisoner of war. Louis’ biggest problem was dealing with an Japanese general nicknamed “The Bird”. After nearly two years of dealing with the cruelty of Japan, the war ended and the prisoners of war were free.

Read More
1143 Words | 5 Pages

Proverbs 24:6 says; “for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory and safety” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation). In the novel Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, the story of Louis Zamperini is told from his troubled childhood, his record breaking running days, and to becoming a WWII hero, and living to tell his story. Louie ends his running career when the second world war started between the Americans and the Japanese. Louie faces many hardships through his time in the military, and after the war. Through Louis Zamperini’s suffering while striving to survive while being stranded at sea, becoming a Prisoner Of War in Japan, and his post war trauma, leads him to God, and finding his faith.

Read More
1292 Words | 6 Pages

Readers, especially those reading historical fiction, always crave to find believable stories and realistic characters. Tim O’Brien gives them this in “The Things They Carried.” Like war, people and their stories are often complex. This novel is a collection stories that include these complex characters and their in depth stories, both of which are essential when telling stories of the Vietnam War. Using techniques common to postmodern writers, literary techniques, and a collection of emotional truths, O’Brien helps readers understand a wide perspective from the war, which ultimately makes the fictional stories he tells more believable.

Read More
1998 Words | 8 Pages

In the book Renegades by Marissa Meyer, many things happen throughout the book that many will find interesting. This story follows two main characters, Adrian Everhart and Nova Artino/Mclain. In this world, there are these people who are prodigies with superpowers that they either inherit or are born with. There is also a Council that is made of the best superheroes or Renegades, all around the city that this book takes place in and the son of the top two Council members is Adrian Everhart with their leadership skills and the ability to make whatever he draws come to life. There are also villains in this world of heroes called the Anarchists and within these villains is the niece of the formerly ruler of Gatlon City during the Age of Anarchy.

Read More
761 Words | 4 Pages

Louie Zamperini and Commander John Fitzgerald show strength and resolution in the face of adversity. For example, when Louie’s plane crashed and the men were on the raft, Laura Hillenbrand wrote, “Louie was determined to keep himself and the others lucid”(114). During their journey on the rafts, Louie tried to keep Phil, Mac and himself hopeful in a seemingly hopeless situation. He tried to distract them from hunger and troubling thoughts by singing songs and talking about comforting memories of the past. Commander John Fitzgerald demonstrated his fortitude in Ofuna.

Read More
752 Words | 4 Pages

An additional theme that is presented in the book is how courage can help people face fears. People see this when Brian is on a plane and his pilot has a heart attack (page 26). Brian then has to fly the plane but he is frightened to do it. Brian has never flown a plane before, so he is petrified to do it. He is very courageous to face his fear of flying a plane.

Read More
727 Words | 3 Pages

The American politician, diplomat, and activist Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built”. In the Biography Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand, the main character, Louis Zamperini, sets a great example to represent this quote. Louis shows his confidence by once the “bad kid”, soon Louie realizes he needs to change his ways with the help of his brother, Pete. As a soldier in World War II, he faced many challenges with his crew and within himself. Over time

Read More
892 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
959 Words | 4 Pages

The determination to live comes from human nature. But the urge of giving up when we come across a difficult problem is also a part of human nature. There a few people in this world that have the characteristics of resilience. As author Kendra Cherry describes them, "People that are able to keep their cool have what psychologists call resilience, or an ability to cope with problems and setbacks" (Source A; Cherry, 1). An example of someone who has the characteristics of resilience is a bombardier name Louis (Louie) Zamperini.

Read More

More about Dynamic Characters In Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken

Related Topics

Open Document