Unbroken: Themes & Issues

There are lots of examples of hope in the book. Hope is very important because it was the thing which made him who he was.
One example of this was when Pete had faith in him when Louie wasn’t good at running but with that faith Louie improved and won races.

Ideas

Themes

Issues

Persistance

Ambition

Hope

War/Fear

This ambition Louie had was not a bad one it was a good ambition it was his goal. He wanted to go to Berlin and his ambition helped him.

“Not long ago, Louie’s aspirations had been satisfied by robbing kitchens. Now, he latched on to a wildly ambitious goal: qualifying for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.”

Even though Louie knew it was difficult to enter to Berlin he didn’t stop trying. He made a decision enter the Olympics in Berlin.

“By spring, he realized he wasn’t going to make it. Though he was getting faster every day, he couldn’t force his body to improve quickly enough to catch his 1,500 meter rivals by summer. He was simply too young. He was heartbroken.
“In June, after Louie performed brilliantly in two more 5,000s, an invitation to the Olympic trials arrived. His Berlin dream was on again.”

“The coach muttered that that kid belonged anywhere but in a footrace. From then on, Pete was all over Louie, herding him out to train and riding his bike behind him, whacking him with a stick. Resentful, Louie dragged his feet, bellyached, and quit. Pete made him keep going. He entered Louie in races, and Louie started winning.”

Some other examples of hope was when Louie and its crew were in desperation because their provisions had finished and no plane had come to save them when they crashed.

“Louie, Phil, and Mac watched the bomber, hoping, hoping. Slowly, the flare sputtered out. The bomber kept going, then was gone.”

One of the most important messages of hope was when they discover that Louie and its crew are missing after trying to search them without succeed they decide to send a message to their families about their state.

When the Zamperini’s received the message:
“Sylvia, who like everyone else assumed Louie had crashed in the ocean, told her mother not to worry. “With all those islands,” Sylvia said, “he’s teaching someone hula.” Pete arrived. “If he has a toothbrush and a pocket knife and he hits land,” he said, “he’ll make it.” Louise found the snapshot taken the day Louie left, when he’d stood beside her on her front steps, his arm around her waist. On the back, she wrote, Louis Reported missing—May 27, 1943.”

“In Torrance, Louise Zamperini’s hands broke out in weeping sores, a consequence of her emotional trauma. Somewhere in those jagged first days, a fierce conviction came over her. Her son, she was absolutely certain, was alive.”

Louie's life changed due to war this was the main issue in the story war made Louie change its life style, war brought fear which lead to death, this is a quote when war already started Louie was scared and they needed help:

“Suddenly, there was a terrific roar, and the ocean seemed to boil. It was machine-gun fire. This wasn’t an American rescue plane. It was a Japanese bomber.”

From this quote we can understand that Louie really wants to be successful and he wants to achieved his goal.

We can see that even though it is difficult to achieve his goal he at first thinks he can't make but then he persisted to achieve his goal, succeding.