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. However, one man does not survive the 47 days spent at sea before they are found by Japanese sailors. From that point forward, Louie was invisible since he was excluded from the outside world and objectified. It was not until he was taken to a POW camp that efforts …show more content…
This was to take precautions against Japanese-American who threaten to attack the United States from within. In the internment camp, she is made invisible to the outside world and reduced as a human being. Efforts to make Japanese-American internees and American POWs in Japan “invisible” were made but also resisted by each group. Before the war, Louie was well known for participating in the Olympics and setting new records. His mischief as a young boy also made him very visible but all that changed during the years he spent in POW camps. During World War II, efforts were made to make Japanese- American internees and American POWs in Japan “invisible.” At POW camps, guards tried to deprive the POWs of their dignity. Hillenbrand writes, “On Kwajalein the guards sought to deprive them of something that sustained them even as all else had been lost: dignity.” (Unbroken, 182) In addition to being beaten and starved, the men were deprived of their dignity, “This self-respect and sense of self-worth” (Unbroken, 182) essential for life. “To be deprived of it is to be dehumanized” (Unbroken, 182) because when taken away it also takes away their dignity, sense of self-worth and self-respect, which leaves