Examples Of Forgiveness In Unbroken

The Forgiveness In Suffering

John Green once said, “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive” (Green). Louis (Louie) Zamperini, a World War II hero, knows this to be true better than anyone else. In the novel Unbroken written by Laura Hillenbrand, Zamperini is a mischievous runner in the 1936 Olympics who is later drafted into the United States Air Corps. On a mission, his plane crashes, leaving him and two other crewman stranded on a raft. After 47 days, Zamperini and Russell Allen Phillips (referred to as Phil) are captured by Japanese officials and shipped to camps where they became prisoners of war. As readers follow Zamperini’s story through Unbroken, Louie shows how he overcame his suffering as a POW, which allows

He held resentment towards his captors, and had dreams about the Bird torturing him. It was very hard for Louie to forgive anyone, making him push away all of his friends and family. He started drinking, and would many times get so drunk he would black out for many hours. It was not until he went to listen to the evangelist, Billy Graham, that he was finally able to forgive his oppressors. “He was not the worthless, broken, forsaken man that the Bird had striven to make of him. In a single, silent moment, his rage, his fear, his humiliation, and helplessness, had fallen away. That morning, he believe, he was a new creation” (Hillenbrand 383). After this moment of forgiveness, Louie was able move past the horrendous events that occured at the POW camps, and forgive his tormentors. In fact, many years after the war ended, he visited prisons for the convicted Japanese criminals that held some of his previous guards from his POW camps, and forgave them. Likewise, he wrote to the Bird, and forgave him through the words, “ Love replaced the hate I had or you. Christ said, “Forgive your enemies and pray for them” (Hillenbrand 405). Through this forgiveness, Louie was able to accept what had happened to him in the POW camps, and forgive his most prominent oppressor.

For many people, forgiveness is a major part to a happy, peaceful life. Without forgiveness, many people would dwell on specific details in their life, and would not be able to move on. Louie is able to demonstrate this, as he is tormented by the Bird in his dreams, and experience flashbacks, causing more stress in his life. After he forgives his captors, he does not experience any dreams or flashbacks related to the war. His forgiveness freed him from his suffering, and will do the same to anyone who is able to