Louie Zamperini was stranded in the middle of the ocean, on a raft for 47 days, then endured over 2 abusive years in POW camps. Louie was born a troublemaker and became a troublesome boy, but his brother, Pete, led him into the career of running, which loomed in his life until he passed. Later, he enlisted into the army and his bomber went down, Louie and Phil made it to Japanese camps, unlike the third crewmate, and luckily survived the harsh treatments of the camps for 2 years. Louie came back to America and decided to live his life to the fullest and take nothing for granted. In the novel Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, she uses Louie’s real life experiences to show his two most important traits: courageousness and determination.
Determination is the willpower to get through something when times are hard. Louie was determined to make it out alive, withstand the beatings, and keep his dignity. One way Louie showed determination was when Louie knew that even as hard as the Bird tried, he could not break him, “Louie locked his eyes on the Bird’s face, seething… All he knew was a single thought: He cannot break me” (213). Louie knew that if he used all of his strength to lift the beam, the Bird would be embarrassed that even after beating Louie almost to death he was still alive and vigorous. Also, Louie knew
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Louie was out in multiple POW camps and was beaten nearly to death but he used his determination and courageousness to keep him alive and survive to see his family after two years. He was determined to keep his dignity and lied to keep the U.S. safe even though the punishments could be crucial. Louie went through living on a raft for 47 days to enduring over 2 years in POW camps and still lived to be 97, this shows the human ability to recover from traumatic experiences, even if they were on the verge of