Analysis Of Unbroken By Laura Hillenbrand

The Olympic athlete Gail Devers once said, “Sometimes we fall, sometimes we stumble, but we can’t stay down. We can’t allow life to beat us down. Everything happens for a reason, and it builds character in us, and it tells us what we are about and how strong we really are when we think we could be that strong.” In Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis Zamperini demonstrated Devers’ words with the utmost determination when, even life was rearing its ugly head, Louis never gave up hope and survived being stranded in the Pacific for 47 days. In all, Louie’s determination was one of his greatest virtues and his life saving quality that Hillenbrand described in his story.

A sly yet caring thief, Louie often stole just about anything he could get

When the plane crashed into the Pacific, Louie had one thought: “Nobody’s going to live through this” (125). In short, Louie knew there was nothing he could do but try, and he survived the crash along with Mac and Phil. Mac died. While seven other crew men perished, they were stranded for 46 days, longer than any person or crew had been stranded before. This says a lot about Louie’s personality, like how he knew that while his body was diminishing he needed to keep his mind sharp. He came up with creative ways to keep them entertained and yet work their brains at the same time: “They continued quizzing each other, chasing each other’s stories down to the smallest detail, teaching each other melodies and lyrics, and cooking imaginary meals” (173). After his capture, Louie continued to change. He became fearful and started losing hope, though he never seemed to give up. When he had been taken as a POW he and the others had been nearly enslaved, yet also became mischievous: “When their guard became absorbed in wooing a pretty girl, the POWs sprinted from their stations, snatched up the tools, dashed over to a section of track, wrenched the pins and bolts out, and rushed back to their work. The guard, still talking to the girl, noticed nothing. A switch engine chugged in, pulling several boxcars. The engine hit the sabotaged strip, the rails shot out from