Unbroken Book Analysis

In the novel, “Unbroken,” by Laura Hildenbrand, Louis Zamperini struggles to overcome many challenges during WWII. Zamperini was a troubled child. He completely disregarded authority and had a difficult time controlling his temper. His brother, Pete, wanted to keep him out of trouble, so he distracted him with running. Louis fell in love with the sport. After having a successful career as an athlete and joining the olympics, Zamperini, was drafted into the Air force. Along with the challenges brought by war, Zamperini faced unusual circumstances as his plane had mechanical issues and crashed near Oahu. Of the eleven men aboard the plane, three survived and were stranded at sea for forty seven days. Zamperini was one of them. After being stranded, he was picked up by the Japanese navy and taken to a prisoner of war camp where he was tortured. He was held there until the end of the war. The events in Zamperini’s childhood led him to become a courageous and fearless adult. His drive, commitment, hope, and resolve kept him alive and thriving through each of these situations.
Zamperini’s troubled upbringing changed his personality and character later on in life and made him a stronger individual. “If it was edible, Louis stole it...When he discovered that the cooling tables at Meinzer’s Bakery stood within an arms length of the back door, he began picking the lock, snatching pies, eating until he was full, and reserving the rest as ammunition for ambushes” (Hillenbrand, 6). He was not afraid of the consequences of his actions. After observing his behavior, Louie’s brother, Pete, could not stand to see his brother act out any longer. He decided to distract Louie by forcing him to join a sport. This was the start of Louie’s olympic care...

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...enbrand, 148). With no rescue in sight, the men began to give up. Zamperini was determined to survive and to make sure the others survived as well. Despite the fact that everyone else refused to eat, he forced them. “When Louie opened it [albatrosse] up, they were happily surprised to find that it didn’t smell that bad. Still, no one wanted to eat it. Louie proportioned the meat and insisted that everyone eat” (Hildenbrand, 149). He was tenacious and it served him well.
If not for Louie’s drive, commitment, hope, and resolve, many of the men stranded at sea, including himself, would not have survived for as long as they did. His years as a juvenile delinquent and subsequent career as an olympic runner helped strengthen Louie’s character and instill confidence within him, which, ultimately prepared him for being lost at sea and surviving the horrors of World War 2.