Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: Character Analysis

The longest serving first lady of the United states Eleanor Roosevelt had once said, “People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” In Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken, the exceedingly clever Louis Zamperini embodied Roosevelt’s words when he survived World War II employing his own idea’s of his to stay alive and help his remaining crew return home.

At the starting point of Louie’s life, he found ways to steal from others, but eventually he became an Olympic runner. Being a thief made Louie clever because he had to be sneaky and plan on how he would steal what he wanted to steal. Therefore, even as a young child Louie cleverness: “ A metal dealer never guessed
While on a mission Louie’s plane crashed into the pacific ocean with only three survivors; Phil, Louie and, Mac. When on the raft Louie used his clever ideas to entertain and ideas to help all three men survive for the longest amount of time possible. An idea to entertain the men that Louie thought of was to play games: “Phil took up the challenge, and soon he and Louie turned the raft into a nonstop quiz show” (152). This shows that Louie is clever because the idea was to get the other men's minds off death and worked by making then think off answers to questions. Doing quiz shows on the raft also helped with a little friendly challenge which Phil enjoyed. Playing games also makes the men happier which in their case they can use happiness. Louie’s cleverness, like a raccoon ravaging a trashcan, helped him to find a way of getting a plane to notice the soldiers with a mirror when the crewmen were trying to be saved. When captured by the Japanese and held in POW Louie used his clever ideas to help him get extra food along the way: “ ...the runner spoke to him kindly, in English, offering to give him a rice ball if he’d throw the race” (216). Louie did let the Japanese racer who he was competing against win the race so Louie could get an extra rice ball. At that point in Louie staying alive was more important to him than winning that
Louie had trouble at first when he got back home wanting revenge with the bird also getting into alcohol which he would decide not to get revenge and stop drinking later he was also clever enough to finally listen to his wife to find Jesus. When Louie got back from the Japanese prison he started drinking alcohol to get rid of nightmares that he had of the time he spent the the prison during the war. Alcohol led Louie in a deep depression stage in his life. Cynthia-- Louie's wife-- had always tried to get him to go to church a find Jesus. When Louie finally decided to go to church it was such a powerful sermon to him he stopped drinking and in all became a better man, “... Louie had no desire to drink. He carried the bottles to the kitchen sink, opened them, and poured their contents onto the drain” (383). This example of Louie’s cleverness shows that his decision to finally listen to Cynthia and go to church was a clever life saving choice for him to make for himself. Going to the sermon also made Louie throw away his cigarettes and girlie magazines. By doing this was a big step that made Louie become a better man and decide not to get revenge on the Bird. When Louie stopped drinking it also made his marriage stronger and helped him focus on the important things like his family. Louies decisions to go to church regularly helped him find Jesus: “ That morning, he believed, he was a new creation”