Examples Of Bravery In Movies

The main plot of most movies contains bravery. What is bravery? How do we construct a concrete border on a subject so blurred? It is one of the many words that fall into the "abstract" category. There is no solid definition for these words. The definition is dictated primarily on who you talk to. Society, past experiences, and personal opinions construct these definitions. Determining who and what makes a person "brave" is based solely on the individual you converse with. Bravery is when an individual pushes past their limits, to do so requires courage, endurance, and persistence.

Distance runner and friend, Gabriel Grunewald, is from the small rural town in central Minnesota. To me, she is the definition of bravery. In her final year running track for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cites, she was diagnosed with a rare cancer of her salivary gland. Gabriel was due to run the 1500 meter the next day. No matter what the doctors said, Gabriel decided to compete in her race. Even though cancer was consuming her thoughts, she flew around the track, not knowing whether this might be the last race of her career. The clock painstakingly flipped the seconds...20...21...22. Gabriel crossed the finish line with a personal record of 4:22:87, on the brink of making it to

top five of the fastest 1500s recorded for the Gophers. Later in the fall of 2010, she was diagnosed for a second time, Thyroid cancer. The news was emotionally grueling. By then she was already on the roster to run for Brooks Running Company and Team USA. Using the motivation from her first comeback, her thyroid surgery didn't take nearly as much out of her. Almost a year after her second surgery, Gabe was bound for the Olympic Trials seated 5th in the pre-ranking. She overcome some controversy in the semifinals and missed a spot on the Olympic team by one placing.
Gabriel Grunewald has overcome many extreme hurdles placed in front of her. Cancer could not hold her back from her dreams. The doctors gave her two excuses to quit yet she persisted throughout all her struggles and teetered on the brink of joining the Olympic team. She seems to never look back, always push forward. She contains endless courageous, persistence, and endurance. Overall, she has shown the world what this trifecta can accomplish.
Many film directors have even attempted to capture the definition of bravery. Ever since film was first invented, writers have attempted to portray bravery in a variety of situations. The more action, it seems, a director put into the film, the more one would latch onto the personality of the main character. The popular movie Unbroken is a true life story about an olympic track star who enlists in World War II. The main character, Louis Zamperini, was flying across the Pacific when he and his fellows soldiers lost their engines and plunged into the ocean. He and one other companion survived the plane crash only to endure 47 days afloat with little food or water on the ocean. The current took them 2000 miles to the west...into Japanese territory. The Japanese incarcerated the two soldiers for over two years. Within those two years, the prisoners were malnourished, beaten, and put through emotion and physical torture. The most memorable scene in the movie was when the Japanese general commanded Louis, in his emaciated state, to hold a heavy wooden beam over his head. If it was dropped, he was dead. Louis held that beam up (a total of 37 minutes) until the commander was frustrated his example didn't work and shoved him to the ground. Louis recollected the event and said, "Something went on inside of me. I don’t know what it was." He was talking about his bravery.
Louis' story is among the many from prisoners of war, who suffered beyond what any civilian could imagine. To even think that he had the endurance and hope to survive the first few weeks at sea is incomprehensible. Yet, he maintained resilience and was a symbol of inspiration for the other captives. One shouldn't even hesitate to claim he and his companions to be brave.
With both these examples, society's view towards bravery is in contrast.

To be "brave" in society, is to endure pain, face danger, and show courage against the antagonist. The only reason Louis' story was brought to Hollywood was that the plot was overflowing with action. If Louis had not been well known due to his Olympic participation, he might have been overlooked. Society tends to focus mainly on the external conflict between humans and omit the internal assault raging inside of each of us. Bravery does not necessarily have to involve danger. Bravery is a quality within oneself, a value that someone has to work hard at and can be mentally grueling. Gabriel and Louis illustrated this above all

else.