Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken Essay

Three-time Olympic champion 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 didn’t think we could be that strong.” In the biography Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Devers ' words illustrate the sturdy determination of Louis Zamperini, which carried him through everything from his track career and time as a prisoner of war in Japan, to his life after World War II had ended. In all, Louie’s unfailing willpower to continue through life’s hardships outshone all other traits throughout his haunting story.

When Louie’s story began, he was

One task Louie took upon himself was monumental: “He was going to kill the Bird”. (361) Murder may not be a morally correct objective, he was incredibly determined to accomplish it; he obsessed over his quest for ages. When he arrived home, Louie eventually met a woman named Cynthia and had a child. His personal battle raged on, and he turned to drinking. One night, Louie attended a religious revival, where he remembered the promise he made to serve God. When he and Cynthia returned to their apartment after this experience, “Louie went straight to his cache of liquor. It was the time of night when the need usually took hold of him, but for the first time in years, Louie had no desire to drink. He carried the bottles to the kitchen sink, opened them, and poured their contents into the drain” (383). With a wife and child he should have been with for quite some time, it was for the better that he gave up his harmful habits. Through the events that occurred at this point in his life, his determination was strengthened even further; this time, he used it to turn his life around.
After reading the biography of Louis Zamperini’s life by Laura Hillenbrand, it’s obvious that Louie’s concrete determination remained strong despite doubt and countless struggles attempting to chip away at its foundation. Louie, determined to conquer insurmountable odds and remain unbroken proved to audiences