Unbroken Theme Essay

Though WWII ended in 1945, countless American war veterans were still torn with mental illnesses, and over 40% of all enlisted men during the war were discharged because of traumatic psychiatric conditions. The story of Unbroken speaks about the life of a man named Louis Zamperini, an American olympic athlete in long distance running, who eventually was captured as a POW by the Japanese in the pacific front of WWII. This story, in both a novel and movie, defines years of trauma and suffering overcome by perseverance and determination. Throughout the story, the theme of suffering is displayed as the undergoing of extreme pain and hardship, whether it be mentally or physically. Suffering and trauma are commonly recurring themes in literature

This, among other actions taken against them by their cruel Japanese captors, develops a theme of perseverance through immense suffering and pain. In the book and movie, it is similarly illustrated as to how Phil and Louie are constantly abused by the guards, provided little to no shelter, and are given inconsequential rations of food despite the fact that they were previously starving for almost 2 months on a liferaft that had been lost at sea. Additionally, both tellings of the story indicate that Phil and Louie were often taken separately out of their cells for interrogation by the Japanese on topics like the B-24 and Norden Bomb sight. However, a significant difference between the book and movie is that during their captivity in the book, it is often mentioned that the Americans were able to communicate with each other through hand signals and whispering. It is also mentioned that there was a friendly guard that had defended them in several instances of abuse and torture, nicknamed Kawamura. In the movie, however, there is no mention or showing of any friendliness among the guards, and Phil and Louie are able to communicate with each other on only one, brief interaction before being dragged into extreme

While there, Louie is seemingly selected as a target by a man named Mutsuhiro Watanabe, nicknamed “the Bird”. The Bird seems intent on making Louie’s life miserable through consistent beatings and abuse. This constant, terrible mistreatment that Louie was involuntarily forced to tolerate supports a theme of determination prevailing over pain and misery. Though Louie is often crippled and almost unconscious after the end of his suffering, he always picks his head back up and moves forward in the name of perseverance. ( transition ) In the novel, the Bird is often displayed as a psychotic madman who had no remorse for the pain and suffering he inflicted on countless others, and even seemed to enjoy bringing others misery on a daily basis. Though this remains true in the movie, the demeanor of Watanabe had greatly changed from this madman to a more calm, composed, well-educated individual who carried out his punishments with a sense of calamity and controlled menace. The movie also spent much less time describing the daily punishments that the Bird would inflict on everyone, and focuses only on the hatred stemming from Louie at the