Summary

Unbroken is a biography of World War II written by Laura Hillenbrand. Veteran Louis Zamperini,  a former Olympic track athlete, was lost in the Pacific Ocean because of a plane crash and captured by Japanese soldiers. Fortunately, he survived until Japan lost in World War II when he was rescued from the Japanese POW camp next to Hiroshima. Throughout the book, Louie shows his spectacular resilience, determination, and forgiveness in his indelible journey. The journey includes floating in the middle of the sea for 47 days, practicing track for 2 months in a row in the summer of New York, and enduring all the pain from starving, and being physically abused in the Japanese concentration camps. After all, the flame in his heart never extinguished, so did his faith and belief in returning home safely from war.

1. Theme Chart

Reasoning:

War is hell, this is the theme for the chart. As we can see, several parts of evidence can show the brutality of war, it ranges from the separation of families, the pain that all the prisoners need to endure during the war and in the concentration camps, and the trauma caused by war. First, the separation of families, from the chart, shows that many men in the average American family left to fight for their country, which tore apart their family, causing women to work and kids to stay at home lonely. Elaborating on the damage to soldiers during the war, almost 1/3 of American soldiers died, that was just such a bloody scene. Also if they survive the plane crashes, most of them will be captured in the Japanese concentration camp, then these innocent soldiers suffer even more there. Fortunately, there still might be some soldiers like Louie who survived, but the war caused indelible mental health issues for all of the soldiers who safely returned home, which can really show how war is hell.

2. Central Idea Chart #1

Reasoning:

In this central idea chart, the topic is about determination. In the book, Louie survived several dangerous situations, which was all because of his spectacular determination. For example, when he was bombing the islands, he needed to finish 40 tasks so that he could go back home, and he tried. Also, when Phil Mac and Louie were floating in the middle of the sea, his determination seemed to give him some sort of energy, making him strong enough both physically and mentally to survive after around 47 days. The part where Louie went to the concentration camps also shows his determination. When all the Japanese guards treated him brutally, also with his illness, he kept trying to survive, but he still did not give up. Louie’s behavior clearly shows the power of determination.

3. Central Idea #2

Reasoning:

There is another main central idea in the book that I think is important, it is forgiveness. Throughout the book, Louie also with some other antagonists shows forgiveness. From before the war to during the war and after the war, Louie did not show any bitterness, he only showed kindness towards others. It varies from the forgiveness to his brother, and the coaches that supported him. Also Mac for eating all their food on the raft, to smiling at those evil Japanese guards who damaged Louie and all the other American soldiers that had been captured. Why? It’s just because of how Louie’s grateful and heart felt about why this all happened, it’s not because of the Americans and the Japanese, it was because of war, it’s because of the ones that started it.

4. Synthesis Page- Descriptive Writing

Reasoning:

For the first synthesis page, I focused on the descriptive writings used in the book. These simple words might not seem important to the whole theme, but it created a sense of intensity. From describing the Green Hornet as a plane, to describing how much weight Louie and Phil lost when they were floating, also describing how Louie smiled at the Japanese guards in the end. It can all show how Louie really changed throughout the book; he was confident at first, then turned into a person with the strongest determination and resilience. Lastly, it showed his forgiveness towards all those who were involved in his journey.

5. Synthesis Page #2- Perspectives

Reasoning:

This second synthesis page, explains the different perspectives between people and countries. The first one, shows Japan, the USA,  and Louie’s perspectives on World War II. The second one explained the different racial superiority in Japan’s view and also in the USA’s view. The last one, showed Mac, Phil, and Louie’s perspectives of determination. In these different roles, we can see how they think differently, some seek for their sake, and some care for others more than themselves. This seems to be a great example of different ideas in the real world.