Unbroken Character Comparison Essay

Louie Zamperini and Mutsuhiro “The Bird” Watanabe: Character Comparison

Like snowflakes, all people are extremely unique. Therefore, it can be assumed that we all have a different outlook on the world and will handle what the universe throws at us in our own way. In the young adult novel, Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand conveys this theme, war and trauma can have profound and varied effects on different people experiencing it in a similar way. She does this by showing the reader extremes at opposite ends of the spectrum: Louie Zamperini and Mutsuhiro Watanabe.

The Watanabe name was equated with prosperous military men, so naturally, success was foreseen in Mutsuhiro’s future once he enlisted in the Japanese Army (173). Even though everyone had high expectations for him, “when he applied to become an officer, he was rejected” (173). This seemingly minuscule failure made him a living nightmare for those who were near, especially high ranking prisoners of war. The Bird, as the captives named him, “beat POWs every day, fracturing their windpipes, rupturing their eardrums, shattering their teeth,

Even though, everyone had heard of him, Louie was notorious for stealing (8-9). Because of his raucousness and heritage , Louie became a candidate for an increasingly popular procedure called eugenics. Page 12 explains that “eugenics was forced sterilization, a surgical procedure that rendered patients unable to have children.” The thought of being an ‘unfit’ member of society scarred Louie tremendously. After a failed runaway attempt “Louie went upstairs, dropped into bed, and whispered his surrender to Pete. He was going to be a runner and he was going to go all out” (16). At this point Louie could use his legs and resilience for something productive. In the face of fear and the pressure of his older brother, Louie excelled at running; using his stress to achieve something