Unbroken Character Analysis

Laura Hillenbrand’s novel Unbroken incorporates the improbable life of the main character, Louie Zamperini. She introduces both the inspiring and powerful journey that Louie encounters in his life as he grows up. Hillenbrand looks to and successfully does catch the versatility of the human soul. Zamperini’s story including his involvement in World War II gives a persuasive stage in which the author demonstrates numerous qualities of Louie. Leaving readers to appreciate his courage, quality, grit and above all else, his bravery. “Confident that he was clever resourceful, and bold enough to escape any predicament, [Louie] was almost incapable of discouragement. When history carried him into war, this resilient optimism would define him.” Louie

It appears that Hillenbrands tone was mellow sensation, furthermore clinical and reverence towards the casualties in the story. The author tone is mostly neutral through the entire book, for an example when she writes; “He had no luck until he found his house key on the back door of the Torrance High gym”. She mostly writes in a neutral tone to show her readers that maybe there are hopes and also make her readers want to read more to see what happens to the main character. Laura also using a clinical tone in some parts of the book when she says, “As the men ate, they passed around the magazines and peeled through the soaked pages. The fighting they learned, had ended on August 15;the small voice that wade had heard on the radio in the guardroom that day had been that of Emperor Hirohinto, announcing the cessation of hostilities.” She mostly has an unemotional tone during the book so her readers continue to still have that hope which shows in this quote when the war is finally over. “Americans fared particularly badly; of the 34,648 American held by Japan, 12,935-more than 37 percent-died…Japan murdered thousands of POWs on death marches, and worked thousands of others to death in slavery…” Laura’s tone is reverence because of how she explains not only the causalities of the Americans but also how the Japanese treated the Americans during the