69 pages • 2 hours read
Laura HillenbrandUnbroken
Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
The Preservation of Human Dignity
Hillenbrand’s subtitle for Unbroken is “a World War II story of survival, resilience and redemption”, and all three themes combine into one overarching message of human dignity. As Louie struggled to survive circumstances of unmitigated suffering, he was able to preserve his own dignity and to help others in a similar situation do the same.
Louie’s story illustrates that men who maintained their humanity and dignity, despite being subjected to horrific inhumane treatment, had a much stronger chance of surviving their ordeals. On several of these occasions, the author explains that the key to survival is the preservation of human dignity. Long after his physical body should have been physically capable of staying alive, Louie and others managed to survive by committing small acts of rebellion which kept their spirits unbroken and their individuality intact. Nicknaming the Japanese guards, for example, helped remind the men that the guards were fallible human beings who temporarily had power over them. By expressing their disrespect for the Japanese guards through the use of amusing nicknames, Louie and his fellow POWs maintained a sense of their own power over their captors. As well, Louie acquired a journal and pencil from another captive of Yokohama, and he admitted that “this small declaration of self [mattered] a great deal” to him (204). By putting pencil to paper, Louie was able to make his mark in both a literal and figurative way; this action reminded him of his capacity for reason, which is another humanizing concept he can grasp while surviving a situation that seeks to take away his humanity.
Mac, the third crash survivor on the life raft, did not survive his time at sea, and signs that he lost his dignity in the crash foreshadow his death. For example, in desperation, Mac ignored the distribution plan of the survival chocolate established by Louie and Phil, and in his greed, he lost a part of himself that was previously intact. By eating the chocolate secretly, Mac revealed to himself and to Louie and Phil that he was a weak person who lacked the power to suppress his selfish urges. While on the life raft, he remained sullen and quiet, ruminating on his plight instead of communicating with the other survivors in ways that reinforce human interaction; Mac’s silence and his inability to be optimistic led directly signaled that he had given up hope. His example strengthens Hillenbrand’s thesis, that a fighting spirit can enable a person to survive circumstances beyond belief.
Faith and Hope
Faith is illustrated in Louie’s experiences in two ways. First, when he was a troubled teen, Louie’s life took a significant and positive turn when his brother Pete believed that Louie could make something of himself and expressed his faith in Louie. Guided by Pete, Louie eventually accepted this faith in himself as well as the possibility that there must be something better for him to do in the world. Pete’s faith in Louie was the catalyst that propelled Louie to excel in running; Louie’s reputation changed dramatically, and as a star athlete, he found satisfaction and confidence in his focus and his drive to be a better runner. Thanks to Pete, Louie redeemed himself with his athleticism and his talent and made his family and his community proud.
After the war, Louie’s life was shrouded in darkness and self-destructive alcoholism. At the encouragement of his wife Cynthia, Louie went to hear Billy Graham speak, and these events, Louie accepted his faith in God and remembered the promises he had uttered while at sea for over forty days. Graham’s sermons reminded Louie of the presence of God’s “infinitely, broad, benevolent hands” (374) that were with him all through his trials, and Louie’s faith in God returned. Thanks to this renewed faith, Louie was able to understand that he was not “worthless [nor] broken.” In fact, Louie was “a new creation” (376) who was able to feel genuine compassion for his captors and for the Bird, who had ruthlessly abused him while he was imprisoned in the POW camps. W faith, Louie’s war experience ceased to define him; he survived the war, and he had prevailed.
Forgiveness
The theme of forgiveness communicates a message of healing and redemption to the reader. When Louie was young, he committed many antisocial acts in violation of laws and boundaries that bind a community together; his delinquency and his mistreatment of other boys reflected a difficult temperament as well as an entitled belief that he was above the rules. Louie’s behavior brought negative attention onto himself and his family; his community disapproved of his antics. When Louie’s brother encouraged Louie to make a change, however, Louie developed a keen interest in running, and everything changed. Louie’s talent and drive led him to the Olympics, and the community that once berated Louie forgave him his early mistakes and celebrated his achievements alongside him.
Louie’s own experience with deep and meaningful forgiveness took place when he forgave the Bird for the atrocious abuse Louie was forced to sustain while imprisoned. With the support of his faith in God restored, Louie was able to forgive his captor and tormenter, and the horrors of Louie’s war experience ceased to have negative power over him. In forgiveness, Louie found a different kind of strength.
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