Laura Hillenbrand Character Analysis

Former first lady and politician Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” In Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken biography, Louis Zamperini showed great leadership when trying to keep himself and his remaining crew members alive while stranded in the Pacific for 47 days. Inspiring audiences, Hillenbrand highlights Louis's leadership skills that reunited himself and others with their families after the war.

In every aspect of life Louie has demonstrated leader; using foreshadowing Hillenbrand hinted early on that Louie would turn his life around and become a leader. In his NCAA mile race, Louie’s competitors surrounded him and closed him in,

Finally freed from the Green Hornet’s “snarl of wires” (125), he immediately started looking his crewmates. “Louie knew that he had to get Phil’s bleeding stopped, but if he went to him, the raft would be lost and all of them would perish” (131), this quote demonstrates that Louie was always looking out for his crew members, and he wanted what was best for them. After Louie, Phil, and Mac had been stranded for a while they had their first attack from the japanese, Louie tried to get Phil and Mac to come under the raft with him, so that they would be safer from the bullets, but it was hard for them to get in and out of the raft. “Louie swam up behind him and gave him a push, and Phil slopped up on board. Mac, too, needed Louie’s help to climb over the wall” (161). Louie saw that Mac and Phil were struggling trying to get back into the raft, and was willing to do anything to get them back in the raft safely. In these two events not only does Louie display leadership to his crewmates he also shows love and friendship. Louie’s leadership is like a tree; he started out as one person, and then became someone who let others branch off of