Resilience In Unbroken

Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Unbroken, wrote a truly unforgettable novel.

Now a major motion picture, this novel contained the true story of a man named Louie

Zamperini going through the unimaginable. Zamperini owned an immense amount of

courage and resilience to overcome his worst enemy: Mutushiro Watanabe, also known

as, “The Bird.” Based out of Torrance, California, and an array of Japanese islands, this

book remains a true testimony to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

Louie Zamperini owned the spotlight in Unbroken. During his early life,

Louie got into loads of trouble. “From the moment he could walk, Louie couldn’t

bear to be corralled” (Hillenbrand 5). No one possessed the ability to contain him. He

spent his days running

from authority and constantly breaking the rules. He later

transformed from the neighborhood troublemaker to the town hero with the help of his

brother Pete (Ben and Kestler Int). He discovered that running offered him the

opportunity to leave all of his anger and frustrations on the track (Liu Int). Throughout

his running career, he developed characteristics to carry him through the hard times that

would lie ahead. Louie, a dynamic character, earned the title of a bombardier during

World War Two, despite his childhood fear of flying. He barely survived seven weeks

stranded in the open sea and he later faced several different prisoner of war

camps throughout that time (Ben and Kestler Int). Upon meeting the Bird, Louie

remained as stubborn as he acted during childhood. His hatred for the Bird and other

camp officers grew, until one day, when his life transformed forever. Louie turned his life

around during a Billy Graham conference and found a new kind of peace in Christ.

During this life altering event, he traveled back to Sugamo Prison to forgive and reach

out a hand of kindness to his previous tormentors. The grace of God granted him the

forgiveness to let go of all the hatred and bitterness towards them, including the Bird (Liu

Int).

Louie’s persecutor, the Bird, symbolized the epitome of evil. Birds often represent

freedom, they soar through the sky as their heart’s desire. In Unbroken, the Bird

possessed the freedom to treat the prisoners however he pleased; and wherever Louie

suffered in the camp, the Bird always found him (Ben and Kestler Int). Even after the

war, Zamperini struggled with nightmares haunted by his worst enemy. “...Louie slid into

bed, closed his eyes, and fell into a dream. As always, the Bird was there, but he was no

longer hesitant”(Hillenbrand 358).

The Bird affected everything that Louie did and

haunted him everywhere he went. The bird became the physical form of all the

adversities that had traumatized Louie. By transforming all of his dark thoughts into

physical form, it gave him something to fight against. This is where the idea originated

that if Louie murdered the Bird, he could save himself (Liu Int).

Louie Zamperini constantly faced trials in his life. Before the war, he conducted

himself in a defiant way and disobeyed all authority in his life. His brother Pete helped
him get back on track and Louie went on to become an Olympic athlete. Through mental

and physical resilience, he fulfilled one of his dreams (Liu Int). Before the Bird

confronted him, he endured every trial the ocean threw at him. Louie’s strong will to keep

fighting kept him alive on the water. Later, the Japanese seized him and forced him to

live in harsh conditions where they stripped each man of their dignity. As his life got

worse, he never gave up hope and his will to survive became even stronger (Liu Int). His

resilience carried him through the war, but affected him negatively afterwards. His

whole

life he told himself to survive and never give up. When he tried to transition back into his

normal life, his flashbacks and nightmares consumed him, which later turned into

psychological warfare (Ben and Kestler Int). “In a single, single moment, his rage, his

fear, his humiliation and helplessness, had fallen away. That morning, he believed, he was

a new creation” (Hillenbrand 383). He fought his thoughts as much as he did the outside

objects, but at this moment, he changed. Louie had found a new resilience and peace in

God which gave him the will to keep going (Ben and Kestler Int).

The novel Unbroken is a true testimony of the unthinkable. When things could not

get worse, they did. Louie Zamperini changed and found a new hope in God by the end

of his life. His resilient spirit and strong will kept him alive both in the water, and against

the Bird.