Kara Hope Hanson
Major Theme of Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand, author of Unbroken, brought a seemingly lackluster war story to life.
Unbroken tells the tale of Lieutenant Louis (Louie) Zamperini on his journey from a mischievous
childhood, to becoming an Olympic runner, and later landing a place as a Japanese prisoner of
war during World War II. Throughout his life, Louie remained driven and determined, so it is
only acceptable that the theme of his biography is to never give up hope.
From the time Louie was a small child, he constantly got himself into trouble. His family
was struggling, so he often took it upon himself to help out by stealing other people’s food and
belongings. On the rare occasions when he would be caught thieving, Louie ran as fast as he
could and always got away from whoever was chasing him. His brother, Pete, encouraged him
to join track instead of causing trouble, and Louie listened. Soon enough, Louie began running
everywhere, and a drive for winning was born.
After setting track records and graduating high school, Louie set his sights on the
Olympics. Although his Olympic dreams seemed far-fetched, Louie was unwavering in his
pursuit. He eventually made it past the qualifying rounds and into the 1936 Olympic Games in
Germany, but he only placed eighth in his race. Louie vowed to return to the 1940 Olympics,
but life had other plans for him.
As World War II began in Europe and spread across Asia, the 1940 Olympic Games in
Tokyo, Japan were cancelled. With no race to prepare for, Louie joined the Army Air Corps in
September of 1941. Three months later, Japan attacked the United States’ (US) naval base at
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and Louie was in the middle of the war on the Pacific.
Kara Hope Hanson
Major Character (Louis)
Louie had been assigned the job of a bombardier in the Army Air Corps, which meant he
would be solely responsible for launching bombs from his airplane into enemy territory. One
day, a bombing mission went array as Louie’s plane for the day, the Green Hornet, crashed into
the Pacific Ocean. Louie and two other crew members made it aboard safety rafts, but the other
eight crewmen did not survive. Despite the fact that rescue missions were sent out to look for
survivors, Louie’s raft was never spotted. Louie and his captain, Phil, floated for forty-seven
days on an inflatable raft in the Pacific Ocean, with rain as drinking water and birds and small
fish for meals. For a little over six weeks, Louie never gave up the hope that he would survive.
On that fateful forty-seventh day, Louie and Phil drifted to an island controlled by the
Japanese. From there, Louie’s determination and resilience was tested like never before. Louie
and Phil had become prisoners of war, and they were treated with cruelty like no other.
Prisoners received small amounts of food, usually rice balls or bread, and were subject to guards
orders at all times. Louie not only lost weight from such miniscule amounts of food; he also lost
his dignity. The camp guards made it a point to embarrass the prisoners, making them work like
dogs or perform shows for food. Even then, Louie always knew he would one day make it home
to his family.
Just as Louie’s life was spiraling downward in his final prisoner of war camp, the US
dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, and World War II was officially over. Best of all, Louie’s
willpower and hope allowed him to survive years of brutality, and he would finally be able to
return home to the people he loved the most.
Kara Hope Hanson
Literary Aspect (imagery)
Throughout Louie’s journey on the Pacific Ocean, Hillenbrand gives the reader clear
images that provoke all sorts of emotions. Before his crash, Louie was nervous about flying in a
different, unfamiliar plane, so when the airplane hit the ocean, there was fear and dread for what
was to come. As the sharks circled the inflatable rafts and one crewman died shortly before
rescue, a sense of sorrow was evoked, which only worsened as Louie was transferred from camp
to camp. Eventually, sadness and helplessness grew to pure joy as the Americans defeated Japan
and Louie returned home. Ultimately, Hillenbrand’s words allowed the reader to take a walk in
Louie’s shoes.
Likewise, Hillenbrand gives detailed descriptions of all parts of Louie’s life. Beginning
with Louie’s days of running track, it is obvious that he has motivation like no other to set
countless state and national records at such a young age. Pictures of Louie winning medal after
medal show the reader of his drive. Similarly, Hillenbrand gives such meticulous imagery that
the readers seem to be in the middle of the war themselves, throwing bombs and hanging on for
dear life. Also, strong feelings of gratitude were stirred up as Louie turned his life around after
a bout with alcoholism by turning to faith instead.
Unbroken contained numerous photographs taken of Louie during his track days and of
him and his fellow airmen during the war. More importantly, Hillenbrand used her voice to
evoke images with her word choice, which helped the reader understand the time period and the
nationalistic feelings of US citizens after entering the Second World War.
Kara Hope Hanson
Quotes
1) “With the last of his strength, Louie threw himself over the line. He had made up fifty yards
in the last lap and beaten his personal best time by more than eight seconds.” (34). This quote
constitutes evidence of never giving up because Louie knew he was going to lose his Olympic
race, yet he pushed himself in the final lap to do his absolute best. He ran his closing lap in fiftysix seconds, the new world record time for running a mile, and only finished in eighth place.
When he returned home from the 1936 Olympic Games, Louie was as sure of himself as ever.
2) “Louie could win gold in 1940, and both brothers knew it.” (37). Louie set out to do just that,
running nonstop at every possible chance he got. He was relentless in his pursuit to win an
Olympic race. Even with the start of World War II and Louie’s enlistment in the Army Air
Corps, he never stopped running.
3) “Each man would eat one square of chocolate in the morning, one in the evening. Louis
allotted one water tin per man, with each man allowed two or three sips a day.” (129).
Hillenbrand describes Louie as the leader of the three men on the raft, taking initiative and
setting ground rules to divvy out food and water supplies. Louie’s survival skills and realistic
views of what it would take for the men not to perish were examples of his determination and
perseverance no matter the circumstances.
4) “One day, as he lay in misery, Louie heard singing…the singers weren’t there. Only their
music was with him. He let it wash over him, finding in it a reason to hope.” (181). It did not
matter to Louie that the music was coming from some unknown place, or maybe he was
imagining it in his head. Either way, he found comfort in this music, which gave him optimism
and something to take his mind off of the wretched conditions he was facing.
Kara Hope Hanson
5) After hearing the music for a second time, Louie began to pray “intensely, ardently, hour after
hour.” (181). Louie recognized that his situation and trials were now completely out of his hands,
but instead of giving up, he turned to prayer.